Lighthouse
by djinni14
Summary: A lighthouse is meant to save ships, boats and people. Usually it works great. - NOW COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 1_

She was running, frightened out of her mind and she had good reason, a very good reason. For one she had a little blood on her though thankfully it was confined to her exposed neck area, not that she was really paying attention to that yet. Second was that it was raining and raining rather heavily. So heavily she'd barely seen the house on the other side of the street.

She was running in her now soaked tennis shoes, with no coat and just the clothes on her back. Everything was soaked as was her nice long brown hair.

She was running down the middle of the street while looking everywhere, especially behind her to see if he was chasing after her. She didn't see him and when she finally stopped she found herself at the side door of the only friend she had in this town. She really didn't know how she had gotten there since she hadn't planned on being there, but she was there now.

She started tapping on the glass of the door, really fast and just kept tapping until the owner came to the door. It was then that she broke down and started crying. "Oh honey, what happened?" Sylvia was really concerned for her friend.

"I killed him," she sobbed. "I think I killed him." She had never believed that she could ever be capable of such a thing but she greatly feared that she had done just that.

"You just come in here and let's get you dry for a start." Sylvia closed the door and brought her farther into her home.

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It was only an hour later and she was now running from her car in the pouring rain to reach the bus station. She was going to get a little wet but not soaked to the bone again.

She had the clothes she'd managed to gather in a complete mindless haste. They were bundled into a ball with the contents of his wallet that were worth keeping. The rest was in the trash and would soon end up in a landfill.

"Take care, honey." Sylvia had done all she could for her friend. She had given her some more clothes to wear that barely fit her since she was much smaller and thinner. She had also given her the only hair color that she had and had helped her cut her hair way down to almost a couple inches long. She had even suggested that she carry her spare clothes and her money bundled up at her belly. It would look like she was pregnant.

She got in line and bought a ticket that would take her to the closest town that was on the lake. The plan was to find a boat that she could take across the lake, across the border, and out of this country. However this was going to be the most dangerous and hardest part of this plan. She didn't have any identification since she was on the run. If he was still alive he would have no trouble chasing her down if she used her own name.

She was still frightened and couldn't help but not really watch where she was going that closely since her head was on a swivel as she was looking for him.

That was when she literally ran right into a man and fell. She clutched her soft belly to hold the contents in place.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you." He was at first pissed off that he had been run into. Then he quickly saw her stomach and he reached the conclusion that she was pregnant. He had just run down a pregnant woman.

She scrambled to her feet, got back to moving, and headed toward the doors for her bus.

"Are you all right? MISS! Are you alright, I'm so sorry," he called after her. But she didn't stop so he let her go. He did get a good look at her, though. She was young, early to mid 20s, he was sure. She was maybe pretty but the hood of her sweatshirt partially blocked his view. He could tell that she was blonde. Almost a white blonde. And her skin was white.

She tapped on the side of the bus to make sure the driver knew she was coming. She climbed in, showed him her ticket, then moved back to find an empty seat far away from everyone else. It was there that she pulled her bundle out and placed it on the empty seat next to her. She would look to make sure she still had it all during the ride.

It was still raining heavily and she was looking out her window. That was when she saw him! He wasn't dead; she hadn't killed him. She was thankful for that but it also meant he was here looking for her. She watched as he stopped a bus that was leaving the station by standing in its way and yelling at the driver to halt. He was even holding something in his hand to show he had the authority to force it to stop.

She never saw that bus or him again as her bus pulled away from the station. She still wasn't safe and she knew it. She didn't think she was ever going to be safe. Her only thought was to get as far away as possible. Another country was the only place that she and Sylvia could think of for her to go to for safety.

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She was able to calm down and actually got a little sleep while listening to the rain hitting the bus. It was soothing and helped calm her.

She knew she still had everything she had gotten away with and what her friend had given her. It wasn't a lot but it was far more than what she had escaped with.

His identification and literally everything that wasn't cash was thrown away. She'd smiled a little knowing that he would have to get a new identification card. She also knew that if he caught her his anger would only be greater.

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She woke to find that the rain had stopped and while the skies didn't look clear since there was no sunshine, it still helped to lighten her mood.

She had finally reached her stop and could see the lake from there. In fact she was at an inlet that was filled with docks. They were filled with private boats, most of which were small though a few looked like they could be used to fish with.

She saw a small market and could feel and hear her stomach growling at her. She had some money but knew she had to be careful, though she also needed to keep up her strength.

She bought a sandwich, some fruit, and a drink that might help her. With her goods in hand and her bundle back under her sweatshirt, she started walking until she saw a dilapidated picnic table down near the water. It was there that she ate her only meal for the day and kept looking around. She was looking for _HIM_ and looking for a way to get away from here. Another bus ride was out. It would use up far too much of her money and she needed what little she had.

While the weather was better she took the risk and let her hood fall behind her. She ran her hand through what little hair she still had as she ate.

She'd seen what she looked like in a mirror before leaving Sylvia's home. She turned her head in the mirror to look herself over. She barely recognized herself. Her beautiful long brown hair was gone. It was replaced with very short hair and it wasn't even truly blonde.

Sylvia had apologized for the color. It was just that the bottle of peroxide she thought she had was almost empty and while her hair was now really short, especially in the back, it wasn't enough. They had blended in a little bleach to make up for it. As a result her hair wasn't blonde, it was stripped of color now.

Still she felt free, at least a little. Her life had been hell and almost anything would be a change for the better.

Her meal was over so she went back to walking along the bank of the lake for as long as her trail would allow her.

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The area felt nice. There were seagulls flying all over the place sending out their unique call. There was a buoy in the bay showing where the depth of the water required a warning.

She felt more free and much more calm and was actually thinking and planning. She was even thinking that maybe she could stop here and he wouldn't find her. Shaking her head cleared those thoughts away. The plan was the only thing that had any chance of working. She needed to get out of Canada and there was only one way to do that. She needed to sneak out even if the border wasn't well guarded or even monitored except perhaps for a few of the larger crossings. The problem was that any crossing was just too far and would cost far too much for her to reach.

She saw just the ship that might work for her. It wasn't raining but the sky was still dark and menacing. What she needed was a way to reach that ship then get up to it and find a place to hide.

Suddenly she saw it. It might work and it was nice and small and there were no people near it. She was uncomfortable with being a thief but maybe they would get it back after a little searching for it.

She slowly made her way down the slope, out onto the dock area, and then began walking.

She took out her bundle, dropped it into the tiny boat, then worked her way down nice and slow. The stupid boat suddenly moved when she touched it and she almost fell into the water.

She hung on and used her foot to coax the boat back into place. Then she stepped down and finally took the risk and finished stepping in. The sudden motion tipped it to one side and she almost lost her balance, barely escaping a fall into the water. She knew how to swim even if she wasn't going to make the Olympics. Still she didn't need to be soaked to the bone again.

She carefully stepped to the back and figured out how to get the prop to drop down into the water. With that done she looked it over and saw something marked _CHOKE_. After adjusting it she grabbed the handle and yanked really hard. It took her six pulls until the engine sputtered to life. Adjusting the choke again got it to settle down. Now she just had to untie it from the dock which meant going forward, not tipping it and being dumped into the water.

She was soon motoring out into the bay and heading directly for her ship of choice.

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She found a ladder up the side of the dock the ship was moored to. It was just sitting there but she thought she knew what kind of ship it was. It was certainly big enough to hide in so long as no one found her.

Once on the dock she moved cautiously to the gangway that was still in place. The boom arm that would fill the ship's hold with grain was stored and not filling the ship with anything.

She scrambled across to get onboard. The ship's main housing was on one end and there was a smaller one on the other end. She crouched down really low and tried to use the covered hull access plates as concealment in case anyone was looking.

There were six of them in total and each had a series of panels over the openings in the hull that had a large number of clamps holding them in place. Since the smokestack was on one end and that was the end she was working for, she was hoping it had lots of places for her to hide. It might not be comfortable, like finding a place in the crew quarters on the other end, but she needed to stay hidden.

Getting the door open wasn't all that simple and neither was closing it behind her. It didn't help that once she was inside it was dark. Not dark, dark, just dark. It still had her searching for a place to hide.

Every time she heard a voice she stopped dead in her tracks and looked for a place to hide in case they were headed her way.

Opening a door told her this was a storage room filled with what she took to be a whole lot of useless junk. Most of it looked a little rusty. Still it had a light and with the door closed no one would see her, so she sheltered in place.

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Being shut in the storage room was really boring. Sadly she hadn't even thought to bring anything to read or try and keep her mind busy. She heard the engines start up after what felt like a long time. She hoped that meant the ship was moving.

Since she was buried inside the ship behind steel walls, steel floors and ceiling, and steel doors she didn't know if it had started raining again or not.

After what felt like forever she was forced to face a new problem: she needed to pee. She could hold it for a time but she was going to need to eventually relieve herself. So just what should she do about that? Then came the question about what to do when she needed to do more than just pee?

She was finding that her chosen room didn't have a whole lot of heat in it. It was starting to get cooler. She fished out all the clothes she had that she could put on. It meant her sweatpants had to come off and blue jeans on. Then those same sweatpants went over top of the jeans. After that she put on her two t-shirts and her one sweatshirt. The only pieces of clothing that weren't layered on were a pair of socks and a pair of panties.

It still left her with her original problem. Did she find something to pee into in here or did she go searching and risk getting caught. What would they do with her if they did catch her?

She ultimately decided to find something to pee into and worry about what came next when the time came.

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Kate blinked her eyes open and found that she must have fallen asleep in a bad position since her neck was killing her. Moving only made things worse.

She also noticed that the engine noise was louder. Like the engine was really working hard. She could feel the ship listing from side to side as well. She had never gotten seasick before and didn't feel sick this time either, so that was counted as a win.

Unfortunately it was time for more than just a pee. She really needed a toilet this time.

She gathered up everything she owned and opened her door that made noise just like last time. It was something she couldn't prevent so she just prayed that no one had heard her.

She found steel hallways, more steel doors, and engine noise. Even the smell of engines was starting to kick up a little stronger. She quickly checked each and every door along the way. So far no toilet.

Her next door opened onto a walkway that was open to below. From this place she could see down to the floor below and she could also see the engines. She also saw a man doing something to one of them since there were two as far as she could tell.

The noise was almost deafening. She covered her ears and wondered how he was managing not to go deaf since he was right next to it. Then she saw another man come from under her and join the other one. They looked to be making hand signals and didn't even attempt to talk.

She saw a set of stairs going down. If they were down there maybe so was the toilet. So down she went one step at a time. One eye was on where she was going and one eye on the two men.

She did everything she could to keep something, anything, between her and them so she could hide if they looked her way. Then she saw a real wood door. It was very out of place so she opened it. What she saw looked something like a toilet but it was a little hard to tell. The only real telling point was the roll of toilet paper.

Now done with her business she cracked the door open to find both men right where she'd last seen them. Stepping out she looked for a third which had her spotting something. Just seeing it had her stomach growling. Like last time she hated the idea of stealing but she was desperate.

It was just two quick steps and she was wrapping it back up in the paper it had been wrapped in and then she grabbed the drink and retreated for the stairs. She went very slowly, not because she was afraid of making noise. She could fall down the stairs screaming and they likely wouldn't hear her. She had to go slow because she kept an eye on the two men.

Back upstairs she went back out into the hallway and closed the door which diminished the noise greatly. However she quickly found that she had no idea how to get back to the room she'd been in. This place was a maze of hallways all filled with doors that lead to things she mostly didn't know anything about.

She chose a door and closed it behind her. This room had another door so she opened it. It turned out to be a tiny closet that was filled to almost overflowing with junk. Leaving the door open allowed a corner to be hidden from the first door. It became her new place to stay so she sat down on the floor and began eating her stolen sandwich and stolen drink.

The sandwich and drink told her there was a kitchen around here somewhere, but she was betting it was on the other end of the boat. She did know they brought these two food and she had found a toilet for next time.

What she didn't know was how long this trip was going to take. She was guessing days if not weeks, depending on just how fast this ship was.

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Three days later and she had gone down to that engine room twice now to steal a sandwich and a drink and use the toilet. On one of her trips she saw something that had her stopping which was a risk if the men saw her. "SS Scotidac." It sounded like one of the weirdest names she had ever heard for a ship. It didn't tell her anything else about the ship. Nothing about how big it was, what cargo it usually carried, how many crew it had, not anything.

She retreated to her new room but as she went she heard a door and someone walking. It had her retreating backwards quickly and opening the first door she came across. She closed the door as carefully as she could to avoid making noise.

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She snapped her head up and tried to focus. She was still in the room she had retreated to in a hurry to avoid being caught. It was just that something was wrong. It took her a moment to work out what it was. "No noise." She had gotten use to hearing the noise of the engines. Granted she hadn't been keep track of just how long she had been on this ship, so was it possible they had arrived.

She got up and stretched her sore muscles. She hadn't been sleeping normally, eating normally, drinking normally, or doing anything normally. She heard her stomach growl so she knew she was hungry again, or still.

That had her moving to her door when suddenly the entire ship lurched violently to one side. It caused her and everything in the room with her to suddenly shift. She hit the wall and groaned from the pain it caused. Then she went crashing to the other side of the room and hit that wall.

"SHIT!" Then it got worse and everything including her was being tossed around like a bouncing ball. "DAMN IT!" There was a sudden lull so she moved to the door only to find that it refused to open. "NO!" She pounded on it followed by trying to get it to open again.

Then the ship lurched violently again which sent her slamming into the wall again, falling and landing on something that caused severe pain in her leg. Reaching down she tested it and found that it hurt even more now. Pulling her hand back she found her hand had blood on it. She was frightened out of her wits. She was trapped, something bad was happening, and now she was hurt.

Getting up only caused more pain and she limped over to her stupid door. This time it actually opened for her. But that presented a new problem. The hallway had water covering the floor. "Water?" Then the ship lurched suddenly and she fell into the water because when she put weight on her injured leg it screamed back at her and she lost her balance.

"Salt water." She could taste it and was starting to smell it. There was also a new smell that she couldn't identify. Oddly enough the water had various colors in it even if they were faded.

Limping down the hallway lasted only a few steps when the ship lurched yet again; this time there was a terrible crunching sound that went with it. Part of it sounded a lot like metal scraping on metal. A whole lot of metal actually.

She was confused as to just what the hell was going on. Then a new crashing sound came to her ears and it sounded a lot closer. Worried, she turned to look that way. What she saw was a whole lot of water headed her way.

"SHIT!" She started limping down the hallway with one hand on her injured leg when the water caught up with her and sent her flying down the hallway. She hit something hard and her world went black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 2_

Rick put on his rain gear and ran for it. The sun was going to officially set in a few hours, however, because of the massive rain storm he saw coming his way, he needed to run to the lighthouse so he could turn the light on. Thankfully he didn't need to climb up all those steps to turn on the light or turn on the fog horn. There was a shed at the bottom that housed those controls.

It was 32 m (104 feet) tall and had windows along the way on two sides for eight windows in total. It was made of concrete and had a flying buttress design. Meaning there was a central tower that held the windows that held the stairs that went round and round and took up the entire core. There were three struts also made out of concrete that had struts from the central core out to these three struts.

He had been told the old lighthouse that was shorter and made from wood had been torn down along with its control housing.

That left the new lighthouse and his two story house meant to sleep three men in separate bedrooms that also had a small basement. There was the maintenance building that held the oil tanks and diesel fuel for the tiny generator that fed power to the tower. There was also a nice size work shop filled with work benches and a vast amount of parts and some equipment. There were also two small storage buildings that had been built during the time of the first lighthouse. These buildings held mostly survival gear and gear to possibly help any ships that ran aground.

It was referred to as Caribou Island. Except the true Caribou Island was a few miles to the northeast of this island. It was officially named Lighthouse Island. Rick had chuckled a little at that given that the island was rather small and didn't have much room for anything else.

Still there was a large area that had grass. His job wasn't just the lighthouse, it was all of the buildings on this island and that included the landscaping. Because of that he had a lawnmower and other equipment to keep the grounds up. That was all located in the basement or garage area, not that he had a car or anything else resembling it. Obviously he didn't need it.

He did know that a few miles to his west was a large reef area that went north and south. There was another one to his northeast. His island was rocky on the north and west sides. He had a sandy beach on the east and southeast sides. In the summer the beach was nice. It was just that the water was always cold and in winter you wouldn't last but a few short minutes before succumbing to hypothermia and dying. While he did have a swimsuit, there was no way he would be using it unless he wanted to freeze to death.

A quick look told him that the light was working so he went to the maintenance building. He had little doubt that he would be spending hours in this building working on that stupid generator. It had been nothing but trouble ever since he had arrived.

He also needed to keep track of how much oil and diesel fuel he had. He had two 500 gallon oil tanks used to power the generator for the light in the lighthouse. There was only a 50 gallon diesel tank for the diesel generator even though it didn't run all that often.

When that same generator didn't start after he entered his fears came to fruition. "You stupid piece of crap! Why can't you be like your big brother over there." Rick gestured to the lighthouse light generator. "Just because you're smaller isn't an excuse."

He'd already gone through the most obvious reasons yesterday; today would be the least obvious reasons. It was a good thing he was good with engines of all kinds. Ancient or new, it didn't matter. There was pretty much nothing he couldn't fix.

He had fuel and he had already changed the spark plugs, the engine oil, and the filter. He'd changed out the fuel filter and had checked all of the fuel lines. Now it was time for other things. He decided to begin with the starter itself.

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A while later he tried it again and it still refused to start. He moved to the batteries to see if they were sending enough power. The lighthouse generator had its own bank of batteries and so far that system hadn't given him any trouble.

"Enough power though it is a little low." It told him that one of the batteries in the bank wasn't putting out like it was supposed to but that would have to wait for a replacement that at the rate his delivery supply ship came might take months.

"So what the heck is your problem?" He got to work on other possible reasons just as the rain increased in intensity and he could even hear the wind hitting the building.

There were no trees or basically anything for the wind to pick up and hit any of the buildings with so he didn't need to worry about losing a building. Maybe, just maybe, there would be a storm that would force the water onto the island and try to swamp his little home, but that was unlikely.

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Rick was dirty and tired and hungry, not to mention thirsty since he had failed to bring anything with him. "Okay, please start." He was running out of reasons why it wouldn't start.

He pressed the button, heard it turn over, and run on the first try. "NOW THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!" Rick pumped his fist with his success. He let it run for three minutes or so then turned it off since it wasn't needed yet. He gave it a pat on his way out. "Good boy."

It was still raining heavily when he opened the door. He made sure his rain suit was nice and tight, stepped outside into it and closed the door behind him, and then started running for the main house.

"Jeez, this weather is not fit for man or beast. Not even sure the ducks are out in this mess." Rick shook himself and peeled his rain suit off; he hung it up in the mud room and then took off his boots. He found his clothes were wet in spots but he'd anticipated that.

He went to his chosen bedroom and stripped so he could take a shower. His bathroom had a window and he could hear the rain hitting it when he stepped out of the shower. He could also hear the wind howling. Thanks to not having any electricity in the main house he had to use oil lamps so his bathroom was a touch dark since it only had the one.

Going out into the bedroom he found the place darker than it should be. His lone lamp was working though the system wasn't working properly. Still naked, he went around to dust the various mirrors mounted high up on the walls until the last one was in place.

Now his bedroom was all lit up nicely. The one lamp shone onto a mirror on the far side which reflected it to the next mirror and so on until it ran out of mirrors. It was an easy way to light up the room using just the one lamp. It saved on lamp oil as well; he only had just so much of it.

Rick got dressed, turned down the flame on the lamp on his way out, and headed down the stairs to the main room. This room wasn't nearly as dark. Even so he spent a little time adjusting the mirrors to get them to work better. Then he went through a door to reach the kitchen.

He was no chef and was the first to admit it. Still he was good enough to feed himself. Since it was raining it meant he wouldn't be doing any grilling which was far easier for him.

He filled a pan with water and noticed that the pressure was down. It told him what he would be looking at tomorrow. Then he put it on the stove and lit it using a match. His stove and water heater were propane fired from his 500 gallon propane tank.

He was no stranger to peeling a potato but this time it didn't need to be peeled. It just needed a few tiny holes, then dropped into the water, and let the water work up to boiling.

His pantry wasn't empty since he'd had a supply run last week so he grabbed a can of green beans and opened them into another pan. Since grilling was out of the question it meant he needed a pan to fry his chicken in. First he dipped it in some melted butter then dragged it through some spices he had in a bag from last time and placed them in a small amount of olive oil.

While all that cooked he went back into his pantry and pulled out some peppermint sticks that were mostly sugar. Next he poured some milk into a glass pitcher, dumped his peppermint sticks into the milk, and placed it in the refrigerator that also ran on propane.

Then he took a peek at the peppermint ice cream in the freezer. He was right. He needed to make a new batch tomorrow since tonight he would use up what little was left.

He flipped his chicken, checked everything else, then went to get his four quart ice cream maker out. He went back into the pantry to get the rock salt out. He would break the block of ice into chips tomorrow just before starting to make ice cream.

He ate in peace if you could call listening to the rain pounding on his home and hearing the wind howling through something that was causing the sound. "It's a big one." He had been warned that storms could hit the area, though usually most of them came later in the year. He had learned that they were called Nor'easters and made a mess of shipping since very few ships were capable of handling them.

His lighthouse was right in the path that freighters would take from Duluth, Minnesota, Thunder Bay, Ontario and Houghton or Marquette, Wisconsin to get to the docks that led to the other lakes of the Great Lakes. If one hit his reefs on the west side that ship was a goner.

This was no Nor'easter, still it was a bad one for this time of year which was rare.

Rick cleaned up his mess after eating. He washed everything, dried it, and then wiped down his kitchen table. It was just him so he couldn't leave it to someone else to do the job. Besides if he left it dirty he couldn't use it again.

Since he didn't have a TV and his radio was meant only for work, even if it didn't reach all that far, it left him with only a few choices for what to do next. He wasn't interested in cleaning and while he did have a selection of books that he hadn't read, he chose to do some writing instead. Writing was just a hobby since it kept him busy and his mind occupied. Being alone meant he needed to keep himself entertained and since he hated solitaire it left him with writing something.

Since he was a sucker for science fiction he went back to that story and picked up where he had left off. He was naming it _The Ones who Walk_. Basically it was about a far away world called Omelas that had an annual summer festival in a utopian city whose prosperity depended on the perpetual misery of a single child. Naturally the child was about to have a champion to rescue it. Well two technically since it was a husband and wife. Their child had died shortly after birth; they were hurting and couldn't sit back and watch this child suffer for the good of the city.

"Crap!" Rick broke yet another pencil and went to reach for another one only to find that one was broken as well. He looked through his pencil holder only to find all of them needed to be sharpened.

"SHIT! I need more paper too. Damn it!" He tossed his broken pencil onto the kitchen table and leaned back, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "Just when I was getting to the good part." The husband and wife were about to put their plan into action. Even if it would make their god angry, and since their god was the sun they were really risking a lot. The festival included a different girl singing to their god and presenting offerings to it. It lasted for weeks.

It was all still in his head so he gathered up all of his pencils and went in search of his one and only pencil sharpener.

Pleased that he had six sharp #2 pencils and more paper, he was all set to go back to writing. Only he heard a loud crash."Now what?" He got up and went to a window that looked west since that was where the sound came from as best he could tell.

Unfortunately it was very dark and it was raining really hard so he couldn't see anything. Then the light from his lighthouse hit something. "BLOODY HELL!" He sprinted to his mud room where he quickly put on his boots, grabbed his rain coat and buckled it up, and grabbed his hat and strapped it into place. He picked up two lanterns and headed out the door. One was an area lantern and one was a bullseye lantern. He lit both of them and out the door he went.

He used one lantern to see where he was going so as not go too far and get into the rocks that were on this side. Once he was there he sit it down and used the bullseye lantern to look out with.

Another flash from his lighthouse light had him focusing in that area. He saw a ship; it was a big one and he noticed two things right away. One, it was sideways on the rocks and the waves were pounding it into the rocks. He was sure it was probably already split wide open and flooding. It was clearly a freighter. Second he noticed that it didn't have any lights on at all. Not a single one was showing. He moved his lantern to see up and down the ship. It was definitely a freighter, he could see the hull cargo covers, two of which looked damaged already.

Another sound behind him got his attention. He spun around and used his lantern to try and see it. A flash provided by his lighthouse light let him see it for a second. He used his lantern just in time to see his radio antenna that was easily taller than the lighthouse come crashing down to the ground, just missing his maintenance building and landing partly out to sea on the east side.

"OH, FUCK ME!" That was not what he needed. He had no other way of contacting anyone, certainly not in a storm. It was metal and constructed in the form of a triangle. It also had three tie down wires to help hold it in place. He could only guess that one of those wires had snapped and the wind and rain had been too much for it so it snapped the other two wires and came crashing down.

When he didn't check in they would send someone to find out why. But that wasn't going to happen until this system had passed and if, and this was a big if, the seas weren't too rough for them to make it across the reefs on the east side and make land.

He did have a light he could use to send signals if he saw them and could use it before they left and went back.

Rick turned back to look for the ship that was breaking up on his reef. He found it easily and it was still being shoved into the reefs and being ripped open. He was transfixed as he watched. He had never seen a ship being ripped apart and sinking.

"Where's the crew?" He started moving his lantern all around to try and spot them. "Life boats?" Ships did have them, though maybe this one didn't have too many. And why were the lights already off?

"Drugs!" It was the only answer Rick could think of that fit what little he knew. "Are they really that stupid to run dark?" Why hadn't they seen his light? He had turned it on early enough for them to see it and avoid all this.

There really wasn't a whole lot he could do to save the ship. He couldn't even call for Coast Guard ships to come look for survivors since he now had no radio. Helpless, he stood there for a while and watched.

The ship just stayed right there and kept getting smashed into the reefs and getting battered into more and more pieces. When it suddenly broke into two pieces he turned to head back after picking up his other lantern. That ship was doomed and he didn't see anyone to rescue. It was all going to have to wait for until daybreak.

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Rick was up before the sun was up. He had looked and had seen that the heavy rain had ended. It was just a light mist now. The sun wouldn't come out completely but it would be more than enough to see more than he had last night.

Breakfast would have to wait as he passed by the kitchen on his way to the mud room.

Now dressed for the rain he went out the door with both lanterns again just to be sure.

He was soon back where he'd been last night. Looking out with his lantern just as the sky started to lighten up showed that the ship was gone save for a few pieces of metal that were trapped in the rocks.

With the ship gone he was satisfied with that. His day was going to be busy as it was already. He needed to figure out how and if he even could get his radio antenna back up so he could talk to people.

Then a splash of color caught his attention. "Just clothes from the ship." Rick was ready to write it off. He didn't need clothes and certainly not ones that escaped from that ship.

Thankfully the light was getting better. He watched as a wave came in and hit the clothes but oddly enough they didn't move when the wave receded. He was intrigued but it was still just a bunch of clothes. Then the next wave revealed something else.

"Is that hair?" Rick moved his light to that spot. "HOLY FUCK!" He set his light down and began running until he reached the rocks where he had to focus on stepping carefully.

It was a body! He lifted the head so that when the next wave came in it didn't swamp the face. "It's a woman!" With her head still up he used his other hand to check for a pulse. As he did that a wave came in and he had to try again.

"Alive!" He worked at getting her in his arms so he could lift her up. The waves weren't making things easy for him.

Finally he had her in his arms. He cautiously turned around and stepped carefully inland. It wasn't until he reached the grassy area that he started walking faster, leaving his lantern behind.

His first obstacle was getting the door open. When he was in the mud room he had one more door to open after closing the first one.

Next came getting her up the stairs and into a bed. Once there he exposed a little more to see that it was indeed a woman. "Alive." And he didn't have a radio to call for help. It was up to him.

First he had to get those wet clothes off of her. That was when he saw that her pants were red with blood.

"Alive and injured." He left her where she was, just as she was, and flew downstairs for his first-aid kit. Thankfully it was a big one and had a lot in it.

Once he was back he set it on the floor, opened it, and got to work taking her pants off only to find that she was wearing two layers. "Naturally." Now he had to work at getting wet blue jeans off of her. He briefly considered cutting them off of her but didn't.


	3. Chapter 3

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 3_

Rick had used a bathroom hand towel to cover her more strategic area to give her some privacy, even if he had seen everything. At the moment he was really happy about one thing: she was unconscious. Because if she wasn't this was likely going to hurt. He got to work cleaning the nasty cut that was on her leg. Once it was all flushed out he had put tincture of iodine in the cut to help prevent infection then got to work sewing her leg.

"I'm trying to be careful, I really am. I'm giving you nice tight stitches so you shouldn't have much of a scar." Long legs like these didn't deserve a nasty scar. Rick was careful and took his time. "There, all done. …Not so bad even if I do say so myself." He was happy with his work and started cleaning up and putting his first aid kit away.

Next came getting the rest of her wet clothes off. When he was done she was lying there with a towel over her core. "Okay, to bed with you." Rick pulled the sheet up followed by the comforter and covered her completely, right up to her chin. Then he reached under all of it and pulled the hand towel out. "Sweet dreams."

Rick picked up all the wet clothes, took them downstairs, and into the kitchen. He only had a wringer washing machine with a set of galvanized rinse tubs. When it wasn't raining he hung his clothes out to dry next to the house. However, since it was still raining a little, he hung them on a line in the kitchen.

Then he went back upstairs to get a load of his clothes and threw them into the washer. If he was going to be hanging wet clothes he might as well hang some of his own.

Breakfast was proving to be difficult for him. He'd hung up everything of hers. That meant he had a wet bra and a pair of wet panties hanging in his kitchen with a naked woman upstairs. While he had seen literally everything, he hadn't touched any of it. Well, save for her damaged leg and what it took to get it all off of her.

"Stop taunting me," he muttered at the bra and panties then turned away so he didn't have to see them. Though that didn't mean his mind was on them or on the naked woman upstairs.

"How did you end up on those rocks anyway?" If she was on that ship she should be at the bottom of the ocean with it. Yet she wasn't. So where was the rest of the crew? "And when did ship captains start using women for crew?" Rick was now filled with questions.

He was done eating so he worked at cleaning up his mess. Then he turned and almost ran face first into a wet bra. "You're doing this on purpose, aren't you!" he told the bra as he walked past it and out into the living room.

He had work to do. First though, he went upstairs to check on his guest and found her still fast asleep and breathing comfortably. "You just sleep, nothing's going to happen to you here." It was just him so she would be safe here.

He went back downstairs and out into the light. The rain had stopped though the sky was still a little dark looking. But he did see some clearing in the distance. Dark enough that the light needed to stay on. He still had work to do.

First up was checking for any damage from the storm. Then he went over to his downed antenna. Getting this thing back up and secured so he could talk to someone wasn't going to be easy, if not impossible since he was all alone.

It was even worse when he found one section badly bent. "Figures." His luck was still holding strong. "If it wasn't for bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all." Rick was forced to laugh at his predicament and started heading for the maintenance building so he could gather some tools and get started.

Rick ignored that he was talking to himself again. He was all alone after all so there was no one else to talk to. Also no one was going to notice and make fun of him.

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He wasn't tired per se, though he was almost done straightening out his antenna. The bent area was now weak so he had pulled the acetylene torch out to the antenna along with some spare steel bars that he had and welded them to the bent sections. He had just one more bar to weld into place.

Getting the antenna straight enough so he could weld anything to it had been hard enough. It might be bent and a weak spot, but that didn't mean it was easy, since it wasn't.

"There, all done. Now I just need a plan on how to get you back up in the air and secured again. With tie downs that are snapped." Rick hung his head.

He dragged the acetylene tank back into the maintenance building and started looking for wire he could use to secure the antenna if and when he got it back up in the air. He actually found two bundles of wire that might do the job. It was all he had so if it didn't work he was going to have to come up with a plan B.

Now, though, it was well past lunch and he was starving so he left everything and headed for the house. It meant entering the kitchen and confronting the bra and panties again.

"I'm not listening." Rick put his hands over his ears. "La, la, la, la, la." It got him past both of them and over to the refrigerator. "Lunch, what to have for lunch. How about a nice big fat greasy burrito." He got out the hamburger that he needed to use up anyway before it started turning bad on him.

While it was browning in the skillet he added a pot of water to boil the rice in. Then got busy chopping since his perishables were going to go bad soon if he didn't use them up. Next he added a mix of spices to his meat. Then he warmed up a flour taco shell by laying it on the meat while it was still simmering.

Once it was all rolled up with a little cheese and even a touch of lettuce, since it needed to be used up before it went bad, too, and he was ready. He just needed to add a glass of milk before it turned sour.

"Oh shut up," Rick said to the bra that was teasing him. He turned his back on the accursed thing and ate his lunch in silence. Lots and lots of silence.

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She slowly opened her eyes and tried to focus. It was just that what she was seeing didn't make any sense. White walls with a wood door that looked like a really nice door at that. It didn't help that her head was pounding.

There were two windows that had curtains of questionable taste hanging on them. Next she saw the light on the wall as well as a mirror at the same height on a different wall.

"I'm in bed! …Well _a_ bed." She looked down, which instantly made her a bit dizzy. It was a quilt and it appeared to be handmade. It wasn't exactly to her taste but it looked well made and was certainly well cared for. Something she was capable of making if she had the fabric and sewing implements to make one.

She began to sit up. "OW!" She carefully moved her hand to the offended leg. "What the...?" She felt something and it felt like thread. She used her hand and arm to pull the quilt to one side as well as the sheet and looked down. But the first thing she noticed wasn't her leg. "I'm naked!" She glanced around the room. She was alone save for the bed she was in, a dresser, and a chair. The room was actually rather spartan.

A quick look and feel told her that everything was in place just as it should be. Her breasts were fine and she didn't feel like she'd been raped so thus far everything was good. Save for being naked!

Next came looking at her leg. Moving caused a small amount of pain but it was manageable. "Stitches." Someone had done some first aid on her leg. That was when she started to remember being on the ship.

"Did it sink?" She certainly remembered all the water that was rushing right for her. How did she end up here? And just where was here?

None of her clothes were close by so getting up and dressed was out of the question. Looking out the window she could see that the rain was gone and the sun was trying to come out.

Since she was naked that meant she wasn't alone. Besides someone had stitched up her leg.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and hissed at the pain that that caused. She stood up gingerly so as not to aggravate her injured leg and walked carefully to the door while the guy in her head kept on pounding. Opening it revealed a hallway. It looked like she was the first door on the left. There was a door across from her. One on her side farther down and one across from that door.

Looking the other direction showed a set of stairs that made a turn as they went down. Since she needed clothes…. "Hello?"

In almost an instant she heard a set of feet pounding up the stairs and then a man came into view. She squealed since she was standing there naked. She turned and ran, or more accurately limped and hopped as fast as she could for the bed and dove under the covers.

She watched him enter the room just as she was adjusting the covers up to her chin so as to cover everything. He was tall, had the start of a beard, and had broad shoulders. He also wasn't all that bad on the eyes.

"Hi, you're awake." He smiled as he entered the room. "How do you feel? How's the leg? Let's take a quick look at it, shall we." Rick went around the bed and started pulling the covers away so he could expose her leg.

She didn't say a word but was careful to make sure all he exposed was her leg.

"It's a little red but I don't see any infection which is a good thing. Looks like you're going to have a doozy of a bruise, however." Rick pressed his finger to her leg in a few places. "My stitches seem to be holding. It would be best if you stayed in bed today. Give that leg a chance to heal."

"I'm Rick, by the way." He began putting the covers back over her leg and she didn't fail to notice that he didn't try to see anything else. If he was the one that did the stitches had he also removed all her clothes? "You have a name?" She was being rather quiet.

That had her trying to think. She was on the run so couldn't use her real name. She didn't have any identification on her so he wouldn't catch her in a lie and she certainly didn't need him contacting her husband.

She instantly made one up. "Kim, Kimberly MacLeod." Though she had long since settled on calling herself Kim. She just needed a last name.

"Pleasure to meet you, Kimberly MacLeod. I'm Richard Rodgers, at your service." He bowed slightly which had her smiling just a little.

"Where am I?" She had been onboard a ship. This definitely didn't look like a ship.

"You're in the lighthouse on Caribou Island. We're in Canadian waters about 3 miles from the border with the United States on Lake Superior. I'm the light keeper for this station. I work for the Canadian Coast Guard," Rick explained. "I think you came from the ship that ran aground on the reefs just to the west of here. That ship sank. Were you on that ship?" She was one lucky lady if she was. By rights she should be dead.

Since she couldn't think of a good enough lie she simply nodded her head.

"You're very lucky. If you were a cat I'd have to say you used up more than one life to be where you are now." Very lucky indeed. "Are you hungry? I can warm up a can of soup for you. I have some crackers to go with it. A little milk and lots of juice."

"That would be nice, thank you." She hadn't eaten in a while and was beginning to feel hunger pains. "My clothes?" She was still naked under all the bedding.

"They're hanging downstairs in the kitchen to dry. It's the warmest place there is so it shouldn't take too long. Which reminds me, I have a load in the washer myself that I need to hang. I'll be right back with lunch." Rick started to leave the room. "Don't go anywhere. I mean don't move. …Don't do anything to screw up my beautiful stitching job." He retreated before he could open his mouth again.

She watched him leave and began smiling. He was cute when he was flustered. Not to mention handsome and obviously built. "Lighthouse?" She looked around again. It certainly didn't look like the inside of a lighthouse. The room was far too square for that.

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Rick didn't have a tray to put it all on. No one got served breakfast in bed doing this job.

He had a bowl of soup on a hot pad in one hand. Over it was a slice of bread in case she wanted to use it to wipe the bowl clean or just eat it. On top of that was a small stack of crackers. In his other hand was a glass of orange juice. In a pocket was a spoon.

"It's soup," Rick sang out as he entered her room. Thankfully he'd left the door open since he didn't have a free hand to open it with.

He gave Kim the bowl then moved the chair next to her bed and put her orange juice on it. Having the chair close by gave her somewhere to put her bread and crackers.

She was looking at him like he had forgotten something. "Oh, the spoon." Rick fished it out of his pocket and handed it over. "You finish that and I can bring you some canned peaches next. I'm going to go check on your clothes." He was sure they would still be wet but he needed to be busy.

Kim just smiled as he hurried out of her room. She took the crackers off, set them on the chair, and then lifted up the bread to see what the soup was.

"Corn!?" She didn't even know you could make soup using corn. She used her spoon to move it around. She saw corn, red potatoes, white onion bits, a little cheese, and some green onion pieces sitting on top. It was thick and smelled wonderful. She taste tested it. It was delicious! As her stomach growled she ate it readily. She had been ignoring her hunger for what felt like days. She had eaten half of it when she remembered the crackers and her slice of bread. Soon she couldn't spoon out anything else so she actually used her slice of bread to get it all.

With it all gone she set her empty bowl on the chair and then began downing her glass of orange juice just as Rick came back carrying yet another bowl. She was still hungry and would eat another bowl of soup if that was what he had.

He put the bowl on the chair and she saw it was filled with peach slices along with a fork.

"You must have liked it. That or you were really hungry." There wasn't so much as a teaspoon of liquid left in that bowl as he picked it and the spoon up. "Your clothes are still rather damp, sorry. I have a lot of work to do so you're going to be on your own for a while. The bathroom is the other side of this wall," he pointed. "Try not to damage my stitches." Rick left her to her own devices for a while.

Since it wasn't raining but was a little cool he was back outside wearing sweats and his boots. If she washed ashore maybe there was someone else and since the sun was up, just not out, now was a good time to look.

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Kim was enjoying her peaches; she slowly ate them one at a time, savoring each bite. It gave her a chance to really look the room over. The far wall was wallpapered and while it wasn't to her taste, she had seen worse. The wood of the window sill and the door was exposed and not painted as was the wood of the baseboard. There was even wood molding at the ceiling.

It all looked kind of unfinished to her but still nice. Then she looked down and saw wood floors that were really wide planks that looked to be filled with knots. Then it hit her that she hadn't heard him walking on those floors.

With her peaches gone she didn't know what to do next. Her leg was paining her a little but it wasn't bad for now. She was pretty sure that if she moved it would hurt more. Problem was she wasn't sleepy, not even a little.

"He said he had a lot of work to do." Maybe it was safe enough to walk around naked up here since she didn't have any clothes. Getting out of bed confirmed that her leg didn't like what she was doing but it wasn't that bad.

She actually found some clothes in some of the dresser drawers in her room. She left that and went across to the door across from her and opened it. There she found a bedroom that was almost a duplicate. It even had another set of drawers that had more clothes in it.

This time she started fishing through what was in it, selecting bits of clothing, then taking them across to her room where she tossed them on the bed.

Going down the hallway she found the bathroom right where he had said it was. It had a claw foot tub with a vinyl shower curtain around it. The toilet had a tank hanging on the wall with a chain hanging from it. The sink was hanging on the wall. There was also a cabinet that she found had towels, soaps, and cleaners inside it. Even the window shelf had items for the shower on it.

She risked it and opened the last door. It was only just a touch bigger than her room and looked basically the same. Even the bedding was almost identical to the other two. So far there was nothing grand about this place. Looking out his window she could see that he was looking west and she actually saw him walking around the rocks searching for something.

"He's nice." At least he was so far. But then her husband had been at first until after they were married.


	4. Chapter 4

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 4_

She was dressed with what she could find that she could at least adjust to fit her. It meant going braless and without panties so she was naked under it. However, it didn't show that she could tell.

The t-shirt was far too big so she had put a tie in at her waist. It was still too big across her chest but that helped to hide that she wasn't wearing a bra. Though she wasn't really thinking that he would know that since her only bra was down in the kitchen drying.

She had done basically the same for the pants but had to roll up the legs since they were too long. It meant going barefoot, since like everything else, her shoes were missing and she hadn't found any. That had her taking the stairs down one step at a time and hissing with each and every step.

When she reached the bottom it opened into a large living room. It was rather spartan. It had a pair of sofas, one of which was rather ratty-looking while the other was in better shape. There were two chairs, an end table, and a coffee table. There was a bookcase that had a selection of books on it. There was also a wood stove that could provide some heat. At the moment it was dark.

The floors were wood and looked identical to the one in her bedroom while the walls were white. There were pictures on the wall that depicted different lighthouses.

One opening lead to a dining room that had a wood table and four wood chairs. On it were vast amounts of paper along with a number of pencils. All of the papers on top were covered in handwriting and looked like either a story or a description of something. It was also there that she saw a cabinet that she found held a stack of plates and other items.

The next opening held the kitchen and her clothes. A quick check confirmed that indeed her clothes were still wet. It was also a lot warmer in there. On one wall was a fireplace that had a fire in it that was producing most of the heat. There was an old fashioned oven and stovetop and a small table with two chairs. Cabinets hung from the wall and there was a door.

She saw perishable food lying out all over until she saw two refrigerators that had a round unit on top. Opening each showed that both were full. They were also divided. One held meat while the other held everything else.

The door opened into a huge pantry that was filled with boxes and cans on large shelves that went from floor to ceiling. Based on this room alone neither of them were going to starve. She saw that it was stacked nicely based on what was in each box or can, making anything you wanted easy to find.

She ducked around her clothes to get closer to the oven and stove top. Over there she found a shelf filled with spices of all kinds. They could cook almost anything they wanted. This was better than she could ever have hoped for.

Still she needed to figure out where she was. There were windows and two doors. She chose the door in the living room and found a mud room. It had boots, coats, rain gear, brooms, and even a pair of binoculars. There was also another door.

Opening it, she was able to look directly at the lighthouse Rick had talked about. It looked massive to her. Sure enough the top was red and had glass on all sides. But it looked funny. Different, somehow. She didn't remember ever seeing a lighthouse that had columns or struts on the side from the top to the ground.

Beyond it was another building that was large but only a single story. As she watched she saw Rick leave a small building at the base of the lighthouse and walk to the other building.

Kim waited until he was inside before going out. She wanted to see if this place really was an island which meant some walking. Though by the time she had looked to the north and saw a lot of grass she was tired and her leg was hurting by the time she reached the lighthouse. Opening the door showed a number of controls as well as another door. She opened it and saw the staircase that went up to the light. There was no way she was going to make it up that thing.

"What are you doing up?" a voice questioned which had her spinning in fright. Her mind went instantly to that her husband had found her. It was just Rick. She had her fist pressed hard over heart, willing it to settle down.

"You rip open my stitches and you're going to be sorry." Rick wanted to be angry with her, but he couldn't. He had somebody to talk to and that made him happy. It wasn't until she'd arrived that he realized just how alone he had been.

Yes, he knew he would be alone when he had been asked to be stationed there. He didn't want to think of himself as being a coward, but being stationed there meant he wasn't in the military or involved directly in the war. The Canadian Coast Guard was a civilian division. It wasn't connected to the military. When his tour was over in about a year and a half he would likely be inducted into the army, sent to training and then shipped out. For now, it was all quiet.

"Sorry, I got curious. It won't happen again." She instantly capitulated since that was what she was used to doing. If she didn't her husband would make her pay and he knew just how to make her pay.

"I don't mind if you look around. I have nothing to hide. But you really need to take it easy until your leg heals. Come on, I'll help you back to the house." Rick moved in closer, wrapped an arm around her, and started to walk her back to the house.

"What's that building?" Kim turned her head to look at it.

"That's the maintenance building. The light's electric and runs off of a generator that's in that building. That generator in turn runs off of oil from the tanks that are also in that building. There's also a smaller generator that produces a small amount of electricity that serves mostly just that building. There's also a workshop that I use along with a large number of spare parts. I spend most of my time in that building when I'm on duty which is basically all the time," Rick explained.

Kim remained silent as they walked and she actually let him help her, thought she didn't think she had a choice. She found herself being helped onto the good sofa. "Thanks."

"Let me look at that leg." He wanted to check her stitches.

Kim was thinking he wanted her to drop her pants. It was just that she was naked under them, forgetting that he had likely seen everything already. Instead he got down on his knees and began rolling up her pants leg until he reached her wound. It exposed a lot of her leg and showed her that she needed to shave them soon or she was going to start to have hairy legs. She felt his timid hands on her leg as he carefully checked her wound. "Looks good. I don't see any signs of infection and it should heal nicely." Rick stood up and watched her roll her pants leg back down to cover up.

"I still have work to do. There's food in the kitchen if you're still hungry. Help yourself to anything you want. Go anywhere you want, but please try and stay off that leg until it heals more. I'm sorry I don't have a TV, but I do have a decent selection of books and a few magazines. There's a deck of cards around here somewhere though I don't use them." Rick was sorry that he had to leave her alone.

"I'll be fine. Thank you." He wasn't acting like her husband, though she still didn't fully trust him. He was a man.

"I'll be back in a few hours and I'll likely be dirty and need a shower." Actually he was betting he would be just that and would be stinky smelling.

"I can cook dinner if you want." She was used to having dinner ready when her husband got home. If she wasn't she would pay the price.

"You can if you want. I'm used to feeding myself. It might be good to taste someone else's cooking. Thanks." He was suddenly looking forward to her cooking. "I'll be back in a few hours. Take care of yourself. Like I said, go anywhere you want, just be careful with that leg." Rick walked to the door.

Kim was left behind, wondering what to do. While it might hurt to do it, she got up and headed for the kitchen to search the refrigerator for something to drink. This initial movement had her hissing just a touch and she limped the entire way, but was soon back in the living room with a cold drink. With her drink on the coffee table she moved to the bookcase to find a book.

She eventually settled for one and sat down to read.

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While the book she chose was nice it really didn't have her getting lost in it. Still she wasn't willing to give up on it just yet. However, she heard a door open; she stopped, marked her place, and looked.

In walked Rick and she snorted and clapped a hand over her mouth. The last thing she wanted to do was make him mad at her.

Rick had heard that snort and started grinning. "I'm a mess, aren't I?" She didn't need to say yes; he already knew he was and likely stank to high heaven.

Kim started shaking her head but still kept her mouth covered to keep from laughing at him.

"You're sweet but I'm a mess. I'm going to go take a shower, put these clothes in the washer, then be back to start dinner." Rick headed for the stairs. "Have you checked your clothes lately? They might be dry by now," he called behind him.

That had her thinking; she got up and hissed softly. She hadn't looked lately since she'd been reading. She soon found that all of her clothes were dry, even her bra. She took them all down and went up to her room to change since they would fit her better.

Now dressed, she came down the stairs and back into the kitchen so she could start cooking. It wasn't that she was afraid of what he would cook, it was just that she was in the habit of cooking and not making her husband angry with her.

She was deep into her preparations. "You didn't have to cook. I'm no chef but I'm not that bad." Rick was amused that she had decided to cook for them.

"I don't mind. …You have a lot of food." If they really were on an island she had expected him to have far less food.

"I got a delivery a few days ago, just before the storm that washed you up on my shore. The next one will be in about a month or so depending on the seas. If they're too rough it'll have to wait." Getting to his little island wasn't always the easiest thing to do.

"It looked rocky." Kim had only seen one section so far.

"On the west side where your ship went down, yes. The east side has a sandy beach, though the water's always cold. Too cold to go swimming, so I don't recommend going skinny dipping." He was certain she didn't have a swimsuit.

Kim smiled a little since going skinny dipping meant going naked. "You saw everything when you took my wet clothes off anyway." It wasn't like she had something he hadn't seen.

"I have a very bad memory," Rick insisted as he rummaged in the refrigerator for something cold to drink. Even after the shower he was a little warm and very thirsty.

She doubted that greatly but it was sweet of him. Since it was almost done she started boiling the spaghetti. "I'll be done in about 10 minutes if you want to set the table." She left it to him as to just which table to set.

She found out it was the little one in the kitchen.

"What kept you busy?" It was still daylight so what did a lighthouse keeper do during the day?

He broke the news to her. "Well, besides wrecking your ship, it also took down my radio antenna. Until I can get it back up I can't talk to anyone."

"Anyone?" Did that mean he hadn't told anyone about her? Her husband didn't have anything to look at to try and find her.

Rick shook his head. "Until I can figure out how to get it up, no. …Is there someone that needs to be contacted? A husband, perhaps? Parents, maybe?"

"No husband." She didn't even really want to think about him. "Both of my parents are dead." There really was no one to contact save for Sylvia. It was partly why she had said yes to his proposal. Her biggest mistake of her entire life.

"I'm so sorry." Not having parents hit Rick right in the heart. "No one should be without at least one parent. Someone they can turn to when they need someone." He thought about reaching across to take her hand but didn't.

Kim asked him the same question. "What about your parents or wife?"

"No wife, never been married. I'm the result of a one night stand so I have no idea who my father is. Mother's trying to make a name for herself on Broadway in New York. She takes whatever role she can get. She says she's happy." Rick shrugged. His mother usually was happy and never let anything get to her. She was his rock.

No father. She had at least had both even if she had lost them. "So what got you here being a lighthouse keeper?" He was young, handsome and built.

Rick hesitantly began to explain. "Please don't think badly of me, but I really didn't want to join the army or end up drafted. I greatly feared what going out to the war and killing people would do to me. I had a friend who had an idea that would keep me out of it, if I was willing."

"Being a lighthouse keeper." Kim caught on fast and saw Rick nod.

"Thanks to the war young men are in short supply. Normally there are three men manning this place but because of the war I was warned I would be stationed here alone. It didn't really bother me any so I took it. The alternative sounded worse to me, though I do have a weapon or two hidden away, just in case." He was pretty sure he wasn't going to be seeing any Germans on this lake, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be seeing any pirates, even if that possibility was really slim.

"I don't blame you for trying not to get yourself killed." Given what she had heard about the war, it was bad. It seemed no place on the planet was truly safe. France was already gone and Germany had invaded Russia. No bombs were falling in the United States but that didn't mean their coasts were safe. "I'm not sure any place is safe." She only meant partly due to the war. She also meant her husband.

"I've never seen a lighthouse like this one. What's with the…" She used her hands to try and demonstrate the three struts.

"They're called flying buttresses. Think Gothic arches in medieval churches if that helps, only a little more modern. I was told that they were used to help support the structure. Instead of using massively thick walls they built a thin concrete tower and used the buttresses to support it. I don't know how many of them there are in the world. I was given a quick training course on how to keep the light and fog horn operational while the rest I already knew how to keep operational. I think it was my knowledge of engines that helped get me this posting."

She had to admit that she hadn't seen anyone else so thus far he was telling the truth. "All alone, huh." She wasn't sure she could handle that for long periods. Not this kind of all alone anyway.

Rick shrugged. "It's not so bad. I've learned that a lot of the machines around here are really old and not in the best of shape. It tends to keep me busy, plus the pay isn't so bad." Rick chuckled since the pay was rather bad. It also had her smiling at his joke.

"So when's the next ship?" How long did she have before her husband stood a chance of finding her? Not that she was overly sure just exactly where she was.

"Anywhere from three to four weeks. Anything longer than that and I'll run out of oil and diesel and the light will go dark. They care more about the light than anything else. …Sorry." Rick was thinking she wanted out of this place as soon as possible.

Kim, though, was thinking she had three maybe four weeks to get ready for her husband to find her. That or three to four weeks to get off this island and keep running until she reached the States and was out of his jurisdiction.

"What can I do to help?" she inquired. The sooner she was off this island the better.

"What do you know about engines, electronics, plumbing, construction?" Rick listed off each item he was doing and watched her shake her head.

"I can cook and clean. Make clothes and mend them." She wasn't sure her other skills would fit in here. Maybe if she could convince him not to tell anyone about her, her husband wouldn't find her. Her ship had crashed, after all. She had been hidden away on their ship and they didn't know anything about her. The longer she stayed gone, the better off she was in her mind.

She decided that she needed to stop him from fixing his radio. Maybe she could ruin whatever he was doing to repair it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 5_

_It is now one week later_

Kim was up and walking normally now. Rick had even carefully removed her stitches, then cleaned her leg again, and had given her a band-aid that she had politely declined.

Her biggest surprise came one morning after she had limped her way down the stairs so she could start breakfast. She had volunteered to take over the cooking duties so that she could earn her keep. He had quickly allowed her to do just that.

That morning, however, she was curious as to what all the papers on the dining room table had been so she went there first to have a peek and quell her interest. But all the papers were gone, save for a nice stack of blanks. In their place she found three things.

One was a box filled with colored pencils. Her face was about to break with the biggest smile she'd had in a very long time. Mostly because she hadn't missed seeing the other two things that were now taking up space in the dining room.

She had walked in and pressed her fingers over her mouth to keep from squealing in delight. It was a sewing machine. She had no idea where it had come from since she hadn't seen it in the house until now. It was clearly very old. It looked to her to be a turn of the century Singer treadle sewing machine. Meaning there was foot pedal you had to rock to make the machine work. The top of the cabinet opened up to the left side, providing support when working on larger garments and it even had these little drawers on either side that were filled with every attachment and even the bobbins she would need.

The final item was a bundle of bolts of cloth. None of it was really all that costly or possibly even useful since the outer layer looked like wool that moths had gotten to. But maybe if she rolled them out on the table the inside would be better than the outside.

He had been gone most of that entire day. He hadn't even come back to eat his lunch. But when he came downstairs for dinner she couldn't help but stop him, wrap her arms around him, and thank him profusely for what was in the dining room.

"Wherever did you get all that?" She was naturally curious.

"I remembered it all being in one of the storage buildings and moved it all in here. You said you'd taken art classes in college so I took a chance that art meant using those pencils. Or do you mean the sewing machine? It and the cloth was in there, too."

"All of it?" It was a really nice surprise.

This morning she found him in the kitchen. "What are you doing in my kitchen?" This was her room now and she was learning that Rick was nothing like her husband. Rick was a softy and was easily pushed around. He didn't complain about anything she did or didn't do. He didn't raise his voice or even hint that he wanted to strike her.

"Stealing." He even looked like he had just been caught with his hand in the cookie jar and then put what he had stolen in his mouth and started chewing.

"I'll have breakfast ready in a few minutes." She got busy to do just that.

"You'll be making it for yourself since I'm going to try and raise the antenna today. I've got a plan and hopefully it will work." He had been working all week at getting ready for today.

She felt her heart stop. If he got that thing up he was going to be able to use his radio and possibly tell someone about her. The antenna tower had been next to the maintenance building which she had seen was also where the radio itself was located.

In fact that entire building looked like a mess inside to her. There were tanks, parts, buckets, piping, wiring and just plain junk all over the place. Even his work bench had stuff scattered all over it. She did give him credit, though; he had a place for each and every tool and he kept every tool spotless. The back wall of his bench had all kinds of tools hanging on it and then she had been shown this chest of drawers that was filled with bits and pieces. He was clearly very good with his hands.

"Can I help?" She needed a chance to ruin this for him. If he got a message out it might be just enough for her husband to find her and she was still technically in Canada.

"I… Uh…sure." Rick had it all planned out so that he didn't need help but maybe it would go easier and be more successful if he did. "Eat your breakfast and join me at the maintenance building and I'll explain the plan." He snatched another shortbread cookie, popped it in his mouth, and retreated from her kitchen.

She glared at him for stealing but said nothing. Since today was clearly going to be a big day and since now she was too nervous to cook anything for herself she did what he had done. Snatched something to eat and followed him outside and over to the maintenance building.

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She really didn't understand just what it was supposed to do but it seemed simple enough.

He had erected these, she had never heard the word before, that were going to help him raise the antenna. It used a series of poles and a pulley system. He talked about raising it in stages. He seemed most concerned that it might fall before he could get the new support wires in place.

He said something about being out of metal to reinforce it if it ended up bent again. That was when he had shown her what he had done where it had been badly bent from the last time it had come crashing down.

She was right behind him holding the rope. All she had to do was help him pull and try and hold it in place as he got ready for the next stage.

"Ready?" Rick looked back at her.

"Ready." She wasn't sure just how she was going to screw this up for him but she needed a way. One that didn't make it look like she was ruining everything intentionally.

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They were both just standing there looking at a long pile of twisted and now clearly broken metal that was the antenna tower. It was on the ground, his system was in tatters, and it looked completely broken to her.

"I'm so sorry, Rick!" She even had a little rope burn on her hands to prove to him that she had tried. When in actuality she hadn't let go fast enough in her attempt at ruining his plan.

"It's all right. It was a long shot at best." He knew going in that this wasn't a one man job or even a one man and one woman job. The tower was just too big and too heavy. Still he had had to try. Someone would come to find out why he wasn't talking eventually.

Rick stepped over to her and held her hands. "Let's get this taken care of. It doesn't look too bad. Bet it stings though." Her hands were hurt and he felt bad about that. She had offered to help and had gotten hurt trying to help him.

She let him hold her hands and was touched that he actually looked and sounded like it was his fault. "A little." She would live and while it might slow her down, it had been worth it. His antenna tower was down and it looked like it was going to stay that way.

Rick followed her into the house and had her sit down while he got the first aid kit.

Minutes later he had her hands all wrapped up and told her not to use them for at least 24 hours. "I'll do the cooking. …And stay off of that sewing machine." Her hands needed a little time to heal.

She moaned. That machine, the cloth which had turned out to be pretty good on the inside after all, and the pencils were what kept her busy and happy. She was willing to admit that with her hands all wrapped up like they were, she wasn't going to be doing much of anything.

"Fine." She sat back in defeat. Still it was a small price to pay. Then Rick did something she wasn't expecting. As he was getting up he leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"Good girl." Then he calmly walked away and put the first aid kit back where he'd found it. It left her sitting there in shock. Neither of them had done anything except talk to each other the entire week. They barely even touched each other unless it was truly an accident. Now he had kissed her.

Granted it wasn't a kiss on her lips or even her cheek, but it was still a kiss. Now she was conflicted as to just what to do and what to think. He was handsome and he was a hunk in her eyes. He was kind and never raised his voice and he trusted her or at least she thought he did. It was just that thanks to her husband she just couldn't trust him. At least not yet.

What was she going to do if he did it again? Or if he really did kiss her?

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She was sitting at her sewing machine and was concentrating while looking at her drawing. She didn't hear him enter the dining room and just kept on sewing. It wasn't until she had to stop and adjust for the next part that she saw him sitting there, silently watching her.

"How are your hands?" Rick was genuinely concerned about her. He was learning to really like her even if she was a bit bossy from time to time.

"A little tender but not bad." It was nice of him to ask.

"What are you making?" She was obviously making something.

"I'm making myself a dress." She pushed her drawing across the table for him to see.

Rick picked it up and started to study it. "You designed this? You really are talented!" He liked it a lot. Then he looked at the cloth she was using. "Doesn't really match does it?" Her drawing was one color and the cloth was another.

"I don't have what I need to make it match so I've had to make some changes. Just don't laugh when I'm done." What she had to work with was going to make it look really weird.

"Never!" Rick promised easily. "By the way." He actually had a reason to come see her before going back to work. "Someone should be showing up to check on me soon. Since the light comes on when it needs to they know I'm fine but will want to know why I'm not talking. If there's something you want you can start making a list. It probably won't show up until my next supply ship at the soonest but you might get lucky."

That got her to actually stop working and look at him. She had been wondering what she was going to do for pads when her period started. Sylvia hadn't had any for her to use. However there was something she needed to ask him.

"Rick… Can you please not tell them about me." She knew he would have questions.

"Are you serious!?" She was nuts! Of course he was going to tell them about her. However she looked serious. "Why?"

"Please, Rick. I promise to explain but don't tell them I'm here. …Please." If he did her husband would likely have no trouble finding her.

Rick had always wondered why she had been on that ship. Ships like that freighter didn't have women as crew. That only left one good reason. "You were a stowaway."

She hung her head. "Yes," she whispered. "…Please?" He needed to promise or she was as good as dead, or worse.

"A stowaway and on the run. But from what? Or from who?" Rick asked. She just sat there, pleading with him with her eyes. "Fine, but you better not be wanted for murder or espionage. I like you but I'm not going to prison because I protected a murderer or German spy." Agitated, he raked his fingers through his hair.

"Nothing like that. I promise. Please, Rick!" She really needed for him not to talk.

"All right, but you are explaining _everything." _ Rick stood up and pointed at her. "And finish your list." He headed for where he was now writing his book and grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil. He needed to create his own list.

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Since the buildings and even everything in the maintenance building was working perfectly he was out walking the site with his wheelbarrow, picking up debris that the storm had blown in when Kim had been shipwrecked. "If Kim really is her name," Rick muttered to himself. He was starting to wonder just how much he had been lied to.

He had a trash bin that got emptied each time a supply ship showed up and that was where he dumped the trash he had collected. He had waited this long mostly because it was his primary duty to make sure the lighthouse worked properly. The grounds came second. Another reason was because he wanted to make sure the storm system had blown itself out and the sun had come back out.

He was just starting to walk his wheelbarrow back to the garage where it was stored and thinking he might have to get the lawnmower out next since his walk had shown that the grass was starting to get a little tall. That was when he saw a small ship headed his way. He waited to see where the best place for it to dock was. It looked to him that the seas were calm enough so they shouldn't have any trouble.

"Rodgers! You're alive!" They both knew he was since from Caribou Island they could see him activate the light. They gladly shook hands.

"It's good to see you guys," Rick said with a smile.

"We brought radio parts in case that was the problem," one of them mentioned.

"The radio itself works fine from what I can tell. That storm last week blew down my antenna tower. This way." Rick led them to the side of the maintenance building and showed them the tower.

"That's a mess," the other agreed. "Besides getting this back up, what else do you need?" Meaning what else was broken?

Rick fished out the two lists and handed them over. "Just this."

That had each of them reading one of the lists. "Pads?" What did he need feminine pads for? He was stationed here alone unless he wasn't telling them something.

Rick was ready for that question. "They're for the maintenance building, silly. They're absorbent and the right size for what I need. I really only need a few but an entire box would be nice."

"Okay, but if you want them for a different reason I don't want to know it." Both of them laughed at him.

Rick rolled his eyes. "You two are comedians. Just add the lists to the next supply run or when you send out a team to get this thing back up. I've already tried but it was a complete failure."

The pair of them looked it over. They both agreed it was going to need to be replaced, not repaired and set back into place. It also meant it wasn't going to be fixed anytime soon.

"We need to get back and come up with something. We can't leave you out here completely out of communication. What if there was an emergency. We'll think of something."

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They didn't stay long once they found out what was wrong and had his lists.

"What does he need bolts of cloth and satin and rayon for? And all of this thread, buttons, zippers, beads. What the heck is he doing?" One of them went over the lists while the other piloted the boat back.

"Aren't some of the best women's clothing designers men?" the other one mentioned though he didn't understand either.

"It's going to take time to gather all this stuff and figure out how we're going to pay for a new antenna tower." Shipping it out there and getting it installed wasn't going to be cheap.

"Hope he doesn't need any of them any time soon." They were both thinking his next supply ship would have most if not all of this stuff. The tower was likely going to take longer.

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"There you are." Rick found her in the kitchen just getting started on an early dinner since both of them had managed to miss lunch. "A boat came to find out why I wasn't talking. And no, I didn't tell them anything about you but you still need to explain why," he reminded her.

"I know and thanks." She didn't know just what he was going to say or even think after she told him the truth. "I was thinking steaks since it's nice enough out. You said you had a grill. We can have baked potatoes, beans, and I can thaw out some of the frozen ears of corn. Add some bread and we'll have a meal."

"You start defrosting and I'll go clean the grill." Rick started to leave. "Oh, and they wanted to know why I needed pads," he said over his shoulder.

That had her watching him leave and she burst out in giggles. "What did you tell them?" She was curious how he had explained wanting feminine napkins. Except he didn't answer her. "RICK!" She really wanted to know.

She was also wondering about the other things on her list. The bolts of cloth and other items. Then there was the bras and panties that she had asked for. She was planning on making her own clothes so she hadn't asked for those. Though she had asked for a new pair of shoes or boots.

She'd seen the beach and they had towels and it was warming up since the storm had passed. She had thought about asking for a bikini but in the end just decided to wear a bra and panties. After all it was basically the same thing, or she would make something herself.

She stood at the sink scrubbing potatoes for supper. Her mind wandered and she began to think about the next dress she was going to make. She was so excited. It wouldn't be anything fancy but it would still be pretty. The design she'd sketched had cap sleeves and buttons all the way down the front with a flared skirt that hit about mid-calf. The top of the dress was fitted; there was a matching belt and a collar that folded back, trimmed in lace if she could get her hands on any. She could hardly wait to get started on it!

Smiling, she set the potatoes aside and got out the ears of corn


	6. Chapter 6

**Lighthouse**

_**Chapter 6**_

Kate had been told that someone came to check on Rick, to find out why he wasn't talking to anyone on his radio. She had also learned that he'd given them their combined list. Now she was coming down the stairs with the intent to get breakfast started. She had designs on making a casserole for both of them. That was when she saw him sitting on the sofa, patting the space next to him as soon as he saw her.

"Shit!" She had been hoping that he would either wait a while or maybe if she was really lucky, forget to ask her altogether. However her luck – mostly bad – was holding and he apparently wanted answers.

She sat down next to him and hung her head.

"Let's hear it. I know of no ship that uses women as crew so we can start there. Why were you on that ship?" Rick was ready for answers.

She really didn't want to go through this. He was going to hate her even if he couldn't get her off the island now, their peaceful coexistence could come to an end after this.

"Start from the beginning, Kim."

She took a deep breath and needed to start somewhere. Maybe if she was lucky he would feel her pain and not hate her. "I met a man who was really nice and treated me with kindness. We'd been together for about six months when he asked me to marry him.

"My best friend, who had moved far away with her husband, advised me to either delay or say no. I said yes instead. Three weeks later we were married in a tiny ceremony that was just us and the officiant. Over the next month I started to learn just what kind of man I'd married.

"He didn't hit me at any point, however that didn't mean he didn't exercise complete control over my life. I was forced to quit my job and spend my time tending to the house and cooking his meals. When I did something he didn't like he had methods to enforce his rules." She paused and let him think about that but he didn't say anything. He just sat there and waited for her to continue.

"One day he came home and found me doing some clothing design on paper. I took a lot of classes in college to get really good at it, or at least I thought I was good at it. He blew his top and that was the first time he actually hit me. He made me burn everything I had done or had hidden away." She paused for a moment, her lower lip quivering. "He started searching the house for everything important to me. He had me burn my life away." That had been one of the final straws. He hadn't burned it away, he had forced _her_ to burn it away.

"Then one night he came home really late and he was drunk this time. Dinner was ruined and I had eaten some of it without him before it all went into the trash. That was when we had a fight. I was terrified about what he might do to me. So I grabbed a knife and he stumbled into it because he was drunk. He fell and didn't move. The knife was no longer in my hand and his blood was all over it." She took a long shuddering breath then continued.

"I was scared out of my mind, so afraid that I'd killed him. I ran to the only friend I had in town. She helped me to calm down, gave me some clothes and all the money she had, and drove me to the bus station. She's really nice and a very good friend.

"I bought a bus ticket to a far away town located on the edge of the lake. Then I saw him stopping buses to try and find me. He didn't stop my bus so I got away. That was when I knew I hadn't killed him like I thought maybe I had even if I hadn't meant to." She paused again but Rick just sat there and looked at her.

"I borrowed a small boat with a small motor, went across the bay, and snuck onboard a freighter that was already loaded with grain. I found a place to hide. I stole sandwiches, peed into buckets or even pans until I found a bathroom that had a toilet.

"Everything was fine until I woke up and didn't hear the engines running any longer. All the lights were off and didn't work. Then a wall of water came thundering down the hallway and I woke up here. That's about it." A number of days had been condensed down to bare bones. She looked at him nervously, waiting for him to say something.

Rick was full of questions but at least he now understood why she had been on that ship.

"Why didn't you go to the police? That's what they're there for." If he had hit her there should be marks on her body.

"I couldn't! He _is_ the police. He's a homicide detective. It's his job to find people." Going to the police was out of the question. It would be his word against hers and he was a cop. He won instantly.

"Shit!" Rick cursed since a cop was after her that made everything more difficult. "And when he finds you?" What did she think would happen to her.

"He'll beat me, lock me up, chain me in place, and never let me out of the house again. Maybe even kill me." She knew her life was never going to be her own again. She would be a locked up slave if she managed to live.

"So what was the plan?" If she even had one.

"We decided my best chance to get away was to get out of Canada but Sylvia didn't have that kind of money. That freighter would have taken me into a different lake and into the States. From there I didn't really know. I didn't have much money. I hoped that he couldn't reach me if I was out of the country." Except she didn't make it. She was still technically in Canada.

She waited for him to say something. He didn't look angry but he was a man and she didn't know what he was going to do. She prayed he would help her, but she didn't know that for sure.

"What's his name and what's your name?" Her name was obviously not Kim.

"Josh Davidson. I'm Kate Davidson. My maiden name was Beckett."

Rick didn't recognize either of those names, not that that told him a whole lot. Just that he hadn't heard of either of them before.

Then suddenly he got up and started walking toward the door. "Where are you going?"

"For a walk. I need to think about this, Kate Davidson." Rick went out the door and didn't see her get up and rush to the door to stop him. But she let him go once he was outside.

"Please, Rick," she whispered. If he didn't help her, her life was over.

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Rick found himself in the maintenance building which shouldn't have been a big surprise. He spent a lot of his time there. It was actually where he felt the most comfortable, surrounded by all the machines that he knew so well. He sat on his stool and began mindlessly moving around the stuff that was on his work bench while he tried to think.

She was married and he had told himself to never get involved with a married woman. It was just that he was learning to really like her. If they weren't living here together he might consider asking her for a date, but they did, and they were.

"A cop." Rick hit his work bench. If he had so much control over her he really doubted if he would just let her go. She was his wife and it sounded like his slave. _If_ she was telling him the truth. But was what was the truth and what was a lie? She had been lying to him ever since she had arrived so was she telling him the truth now or was she still lying? His best way to get answers was lying on the ground just outside that wall and wasn't going to be replaced for weeks, if not months.

Still someone might come to at least see how he was doing, provided that the weather cooperated and they could dock their boat. "The guys promised to come up with a plan, so maybe in a few days. …Maybe."

He had a name, provided that wasn't another lie, but what he needed was a town. If this Josh Davidson actually existed there would be a record of him, especially if he was a police officer. "Homicide detective."

Well, he had a few friends that might be able to help if or when he could ever get in contact with them. For now at least it sounded like he was stuck with her and her story.

"Fine, she can stay for now and I'll keep my mouth shut. At least until I can verify some of this." It was just his luck that a lovely woman would drop right in his lap and turn out to be married. Not just married but on the run, if she really was.

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Josh shared the space with other investigators and patrol cops. He was presently going over all his interview notes in an effort to find her. Problem was they didn't give him any solid leads. Angry and frustrated, he wadded up a piece of scrap paper and threw it toward someone's waste basket.

"You okay over there?" the one with the chosen waste basket inquired.

"Yeah, job just got a little harder is all." It also had him up out of his seat. He didn't have what he needed so it was back out to find it. He chose to start with the bus station yet again. It was the only real way out of this town when you didn't own a car and he had their one and only car.

He had turned the house inside out over the last few days searching it for anything she was trying to hide from him. He had actually found a few things but they didn't help him at finding her. At least not yet. They were pieces to a puzzle that was turning out to be a big puzzle.

He was soon down at the bus station and in line to get a ticket but he didn't have the patience to wait so he moved to the front of the line and showed the guy his badge.

"Hey buddy, wait your turn." He didn't like being cut in front of.

Josh turned on him, ready to beat the crap out of him. Instead he showed him his badge and put his hand on his gun. "It _is_ my turn unless you would like a turn in my jail," Josh all but spat at him and watched him raise his hands and back up a step.

Satisfied that he had gotten his way as always he turned back to the guy who sold the tickets. "Have you seen this woman." He showed him a picture of her. "THINK, man. Have you seen her? Maybe a different hair color?" A lot of people thought that if you just changed your hair color you would disappear. He knew better.

"Like I told you before, no, I ain't seen her." He wasn't intimidated by the tall cop.

Josh hissed as he turned away and started heading for the row of the buses. He went one by one and questioned each and every bus driver, asking them the same questions.

"It kinda looks like her, but her hair was really short and blonde, almost white. I remember mostly because of the hair color. It was like she had tried to dye it but screwed it all up. Pretty, though." He ratted out Kate since the man asking about her was a cop.

"Where did you take her? Where did you drive to that day?" Josh clenched his fist. He finally had a lead.

"Lots of places. There are eight stops on that route." That didn't even count the farms that he stopped at to pick up people that flagged him down which happened more than most people knew.

Josh cursed a blue streak. His lead meant he had more work ahead of him. "Write them all down." He handed him a note pad and a pen. "And write so I can read it. I won't have to come back here. …Will I?" It was a threat and the bus driver knew it.

"N-no, s-s-sir!" the terrified driver stammered.

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Josh was back at his desk as he started to look up each and every stop. Most of them were just that, places to stop. Granted someone could have gotten on or even off, but if she had gotten off there really wasn't anywhere else to go. This was the only bus route that stopped there.

The last stop was a town on the edge of Lake Superior. "Thunder Bay!" He knew where she had gone, he just knew it. Now where would she go next and how was she planning on getting there? Or did she stay there thinking that it was far enough away from him? That he couldn't or wouldn't hunt her down.

He was most definitely hunting her down and he was going to make sure she paid for this betrayal. He had given her everything and this was how she repaid him.

He jabbed his finger at the spot on the map. He had some work to do first before he went on a road trip to Thunder Bay. But that would take time. If she was still there, he suddenly thought of a way that she could be there waiting for him.

He began working on it and then sent it. Her picture with **Wanted for Murder** below it went out to the police in Thunder Bay. If they saw her they would pick her up and hold her for him. They would even contact him to tell him that they had her.

Then he decided that just in case she got off and decided to either stay or try and find other transportation he would send it to all of the other stops on that route as well. There were now eight areas trying to find and pick up a murderer.

"You're not getting away, Kate, not now, not ever." Josh's smile grew. It was an evil smile that didn't bode well for anyone who got in his way. Especially for Kate.

However, he started to wonder how she had gotten the money for the bus ride. His wallet was missing and he'd had to go get another drivers license which had only pissed him off even more. It was just that he didn't have enough money to buy that ticket in his wallet, so where had she gotten the money?

He pounded his desk in mounting anger. "You okay, Davidson?" Gabe asked.

"I'm FINE! Just work your own cases and let me work mine!" Josh bellowed.

"Sheesh! You don't have to yell. I'm not deaf. Asshole!" he added which only pissed off Josh even more. He was good at making women afraid of him. Male cops that weren't afraid of anything in the first place, not so much.

Eyes slitted in anger, Josh thundered, "Just leave me alone and let me work," then watched the other cop turn back to his work. Satisfied that he had him off his back he went back to how Kate had gotten the money.

He rummaged through the stuff he had found at the house until he found it. He thought he'd seen it but it was just a piece of the puzzle that didn't fit. "Sylvia." He had a first name, now he just needed a last name. There couldn't be that many Sylvias in this town and he would visit each and everyone until he found the right one.

He was a cop and she was going to talk!

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Kate was worried; Rick had been gone for two long horrible hours. She lived or died based on his decision or at least that was how she saw it.

She jumped as the door finally opened and he entered the house. "I need a drink." There was a little alcohol in the kitchen and it was all the hard stuff. There wasn't any beer anywhere. Anxiously Kate followed him but she kept her distance. She watched as he pulled out one of the bottles that she had found earlier. It was amazingly the only one they had. A glass came next and soon Rick had down the tiny amount he had poured followed by pouring a tiny amount again. Only this time he put the bottle away.

Then she watched him turn to face her and start sipping his drink. His silence was killing her. She was dying for him to say something. Anything.

"You lied to me. The very first thing you ever told me was a lie." He still wasn't sure she wasn't lying now.

Kate opened her mouth to counter his claim but he was right, she had. She was trying to defend herself. "I'm sorry. I was afraid to trust you. My life was at stake." It actually still was as far as she was concerned.

"What I don't know is if you're still lying to me," Rick said flatly and Kate felt tears starting. She had learned that Rick was a kind soul and what she was doing was hurting him. She was still trying to tell herself that what she needed came first.

"So two things are going to happen and these things are going to happen or when the next ship shows up you're getting off this island. Are we clear?" Rick wasn't going to listen to her try to broker a different deal.

Kate could feel her heart pounding. Everything was telling her to run but there was no where to run to. She was trapped on an island. If anyone else found her they would tell her husband after they finally found out who she was; her life would be over.

She nodded as the first of her tears fell down her cheeks.

"First you're going to spend all the time between now and when the next supply ship shows up which is about three or so weeks from now telling me everything. You're going to tell me everything about your daily life. Everything your husband has ever done from the day you met him to the day you ran away. Especially why you thought you had killed him," Rick said.

Kate bit her lower lip. He wanted her to spill her guts about what her life had been like. Even when she didn't really want to remember let alone tell someone else. At least it gave her three weeks to change his mind about turning her over to her husband.

"Second, since you have lied to me and I don't know if you are still lying to me." Kate began frantically shaking her head. She wasn't lying, he had to believe her. He had to. "I know a few people and I'm going to have them find out what they can about this Josh Davidson. If they come back that you are lying to me…" Rick left off what he was going to do since that sounded rather obvious.

Now Kate was even more frightened. If her husband found out they would send him right here. Trembling, she shook her head in absolute fear.

"None of them likely live where you did. It's just a background check. In addition you're going to give me your complete address. There isn't going to be anymore lying. Got it?" If she didn't agree she could go and what happened to her happened.

Kate instantly nodded her head. She would tell him everything, anything, he needed to like her again. Her life was in his hands. She started wiping at her tears.

She watched him finish his drink, set the glass down, then walk up to her. "No more lies, Kate." He meant it, too.

Kate changed to shaking her head. Then she felt him wrap his arms around her and she couldn't help but cry into his shoulder. He was giving her a chance. She was never going to lie to him again. Not ever!


	7. Chapter 7

**Lighthouse**

**Chapter 7**

_It is now three days later_

Kate was hiding out in her room as Rick had told her to since he'd seen a boat approaching. She had spent the last three days telling him about her daily life. For the most part he hadn't said anything. He only asked one or two questions. He had also had her write down her complete address and phone number.

The idea that he was going to come anywhere near her husband scared her to death. However she gave him the information. After all, she'd promised and her life was now in his hands.

She had also noticed that he was now cold to her. He used to be more fun, smile more often, and even tease her from time to time. Now he was direct and brusque. He was starting to remind her of her husband.

The second her door opened she almost jumped out of her skin. But it was just Rick. "They're gone. They left me a walkie talkie that they want me to try and use. Neither of us are sure it has the power or range. They're also trying to come up with a much smaller antenna that can be erected easier and faster. A replacement for the one I lost has been put out to bid. They don't expect anything for at least a month if not longer and then longer still to get them out here to install it."

"And me?" Everything else was well and good, but what about her?

"I didn't tell them a thing about you. For now you still don't exist outside of this island. Well, save for your husband, of course. I also gave them sealed envelopes to be sent to some people I know. They're going to start some research on your husband and get back to me." He had warned her that he was going to do just that.

"Will you stop calling him my husband, please? Just call him Josh or Davidson. I'm tired of being reminded that I married him." She should have listened to her friend who didn't even know how much trouble she was in. She'd been in such a hurry that neither she nor Sylvia had even thought about contacting her for help. Her fear of her husband had been all consuming.

"Sorry." Rick hadn't thought about it hurting her. "You can go back to doing what you want." He turned to leave.

"Rick." Kate wanted to talk about how he was treating her. She wanted the other Rick back. The one that teased her, laughed with her. The one that liked her. "Can you go back to liking me, please. It's just you and me and I'm sorry I lied, but you don't know my life was like." He didn't know all of it but if they talked daily about it like he had asked of her, he was going to learn fast.

"Please, I liked the happy Rick better." She didn't want this island to become yet another hell.

That had Rick thinking about it. How he was treating her. It wasn't just that she had lied. It was also because she was married and if they got too close he feared he was going to fall in love with her. In love with a married woman. That was a very bad idea. "I'll try, that's all I can promise." He would consciously try and treat her like he used to.

"Thank you!" She couldn't hope for more.

"How's your dress coming?" She had been working on it for days.

"I'm almost done, actually. Just a little touch up. I don't have a dummy to hang it on which makes it harder. Unless you want to be my dummy?" Kate teased him by putting her dress on him. He was obviously far too big for this, but that wasn't the point.

"I think I'll pass, thanks. I am looking forward to what you have made using the cloth that you had to work with, though." He had seen her drawing but what she had colored didn't match the cloth she had to work with.

"Just don't laugh." She had done her best with what she had to work with, but it didn't look anything like what she had drawn. Color-wise that was.

Rick raised a hand. "I promise. Come find me when you're ready. I have to mow the grass and police the grounds today. Then do some maintenance on all of the buildings." He left her to it.

Kate went back to breathing. He hadn't fought back about being nice to her again. He'd even let her tease him a little. She glanced around to see if she needed anything then went into the dining room which was now her sewing room. He had at least not taken that from her. Something Josh would have done in a heartbeat.

She was done and was happy with it. It wasn't going to win her any awards but that wasn't the point. The point was that she enjoyed doing it and it was something she thought she was good at. She did her best to ignore the color combination.

Now she was outside with a cold drink for Rick and walking around looking for him. She found him on an extension ladder doing something to one of their windows.

"Thirsty? It's cold." She held up the glass for him to see.

"Give me a minute," Rick called down. He finished what he had started and then climbed down.

Kate saw a sweaty and tired-looking Rick who took the glass and drank most of it down. "Thanks, I needed that." He hadn't being paying attention to his hydration.

"My pleasure. You should probably take a break and get out of the sun and this heat." Kate was trying to look out for him. Rick began shaking his head.

"I've got a few more windows to check. If there's a leak the rain will start to rot the wood and possibly make it inside, causing still more damage. Tomorrow I need to check the roofs before it rains again." That had both of them looking around and they both saw some dark clouds in the distance.

"I'll get you another drink then." Kate took the glass back after Rick drained it and went back inside to fill it again. She was back at the bottom of his ladder waiting for him to come down.

Satisfied that he wasn't going to drop from thirst she went back inside and adjusted the fans that were all they had to keep the place cool. They had heat but to keep cool they used fans.

She desperately wished she had something cooler to wear. What little she had to wear was a little warm save for the lone t-shirt Rick had given her and she was sweating from the heat. She went back outside to find him. This time she found him on the roof of the maintenance building.

"Rick." She waited until she had his attention. "May I borrow another of your t-shirts? It's rather hot inside." The wind made being outside cooler than inside.

"Sure." Rick didn't care. "In fact if you'll give me a minute and find the sun cream we can go down to the beach. The water is kind of cold but it might be refreshing." Rick had been working, he was tired and hot so being on the beach or even in the lake might be nice.

"Okay." Kate was in and started to turn away. "Thank you." He was being nice to her again and she liked that.

Kate was wearing just her panties and one of his t-shirts. With towel in hand and the bottle of sun cream she headed for the beach wearing the only pair of shoes she had.

She put out her towel and sat down and started spreading around the sun cream when Rick showed up showing more skin than he ever had. All he had on was his swim shorts and had a towel in his hand.

Kate held out the sun cream for him to take and put to use. She waited until he had used it everywhere save his back. "Give that to me and turn around." She wanted him to get an even tan so she was going to apply the sun cream to his back.

She had actually started out with helping him in mind. However as she applied more and more sun cream she found she liked running her hands over his back. He was even flexing his muscles a little. Kate fought hard not to lean in and kiss his shoulder. Being this close and doing this was getting to her. "All done." She took her hands back before she did something.

"Thanks." Then he did something that shocked her. He kissed her cheek and then laid down on his towel stomach first. It left her sitting there looking down at him. He had kissed her again. She gently touched the spot and smiled bemusedly.

She really wished she wasn't married or had found him before she met Josh. Her life would have been so different. Finally she laid down on her towel next to him and turned her head to watch him even though he wasn't watching her.

She was still watching him when he turned his head and looked her direction. Then she saw his eyes look her over. She knew the only part of her that was exposed was her legs.

"Ready to test the water?" Rick asked her.

Kate didn't blink an eye. "Sure." She got up and saw Rick following her. Side by side they headed for the water. It was there that they both stopped. He had warned her that the water would be cold.

"You first," Kate said with a smile.

"No, no, ladies first. …Always," Rick insisted and motioned for her to go first.

"Coward," Kate teased and began walking into the water. She was in deep enough that one of these waves was going to reach her mid-calf and maybe even her knees. The second it did she felt the cold of the water. Undaunted she kept walking and turned back to look at Rick who hadn't moved an inch. "Come on, chicken. This was your idea." Kate started clucking like a chicken at him to get him moving.

Kate turned back to view the waves coming at her. She was soon smiling when she heard Rick react to the cold of the water. It was now up to her waist and the water was indeed cold.

She wasn't going to last long in this water but at least she wasn't baking in the heat any longer.

Suddenly she found Rick standing next to her. Then he took her by her arm and walked them farther out into the water. Soon a wave hit them and Kate's t-shirt was now soaking wet. She was also cold instead of hot. "Rick." She was ready to go back and get some more sun and get warm again.

Rick turned to face her and stopped dead in his tracks. Kate was standing there, her t-shirt was soaking wet and plastered to her chest. Her breasts and especially her hard nipples were front and center.

Kate saw him looking at her then she looked down. Her shirt was showing him damn near everything. Granted he had already seen literally everything, but this was different.

He didn't reach for her breasts but he did start to lean down toward her. He was actually going to kiss her. Not kiss her forehead or her cheek but actually kiss her.

Kate met him halfway and kissed him back. She felt his arms wrap around her as the kiss got deeper. She couldn't stop from putting her arms around his neck and she slipped her tongue into his mouth to search it and taste him.

Finally Rick needed air so he broke from the kiss. "We should probably get out of the water before we freeze to death." She heard his words but she didn't let go of him and his arms were still around her. Then he was gone and walking back to the beach.

She hurried to catch up. Neither of them said a word as they sat down on their towels and looked out onto the lake. Then both of them saw a ship in the distance. It was a big one. Easily at least as large as the one she had been on.

Rick pointed at it. "Probably filled with iron ore for the war." He knew Philadelphia needed all they could get to make war material. Then he laid down on his back and stared up at the sky.

Kate wasn't ready to talk about the kiss either so she did the same. Though she did shift her eyes from time to time to look at him. However each time she did, he was looking up at the sky.

Kate looked up to see what was so interesting. "What does that cloud look like?" Kate pointed at one. It was childish she knew, but she wasn't ready to talk about the kiss. She was married but really wished she wasn't. Rick had been nothing but nice to her and now he was finally back to talking to her and liking her.

"A flying saucer," Rick finally told her.

Kate studied her cloud again. "Are we looking at the same cloud?" Hers didn't look anything like a flying saucer.

Rick pointed at another one. "That one looks like King Kong."

This time Kate started searching the clouds looking for either a flying saucer or King Kong. "What are you looking at?" She didn't see either one.

"That one is a B-17." He pointed. "And the little clouds around it are ME-109s trying to shoot it down." Rick bit his lip to keep from grinning and giving himself away.

Kate squinted and kept looking. She didn't see any of those three. "Just what are you looking at?" This time she turned to look at him to see what he was pointing at. That was when she saw his face.

"OH, YOU!" He was having fun with her and teasing her. She got up on her knees and climbed on top of him. "You don't see any of those things. Admit it." She stared at him waiting for him to admit it.

"It's not my fault you can't see them." Rick wasn't willing to back down even if she did have him on his back.

"You're mean." Kate decided to pout at him to get her way.

"I kissed you, didn't I?" Rick said.

"Yes, you did." She had kissed him back, too. "Why did you kiss me?" It looked like they were going to talk about it.

"Because." Kate suddenly found herself sitting on the sand and didn't know how she'd gotten there. "Because," Rick told her again as he got up, grabbed his towel, and went toward the house. He left Kate sitting on the sand wondering what _Because_ meant. She wasn't even sure why she had kissed him back.

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"You can come out already. I promised not to laugh." Rick was ready to see her in a dress even though he had liked her in that wet t-shirt. He was actually mad at himself for kissing her. He had given in and kissed her and that had been stupid. For all he knew she was still lying to him.

Kate actually liked her dress. For once she was wearing something that actually fit her even if the colors clashed horribly. Naturally there was only one person who was going to see her in it.

Taking in a deep breath she stepped out of the dining room where she had been allowed to change in peace. She found Rick sitting on the sofa waiting for her. She saw him looking her over though he didn't say a thing. At first that was a good thing, however, he was too silent.

"What do you think?" Kate spun in place to show him everything.

Though the dress was exactly what she'd designed it looked very different than the sketch. The colors were all off because it was made of a half dozen different types and colors of fabric. There hadn't been enough of any one kind to make the dress. The skirt was half red and half orange, a gauzy fabric and a broadcloth. While the shoulders and collar were a dark purple brown gingham, the cap sleeves were pea green with purple teddy bears. Half of the bodice was a lilac calico with blue polka dots and the other half was sunshine yellow dotted Swiss. She'd been able to piece together an old sheet of Rick's to make a slip. Sadly there was no lace for the collar for all the good it would have done.

But even with the cacophony of colors and fabrics he could see the craftsmanship in the dress. It fitted her perfectly.

"You look amazing. You've never looked better." She actually looked like a real woman now and she'd made this all by herself. He knew nothing about sewing and didn't even know how the sewing machine had gotten here. Since he couldn't use it he had left it right where it was.

"I can't wait to see what you can do when you have what you need." Now he was looking forward to the next supply ship with a new interest.

"You don't think it's too much?" It was a real hodgepodge of fabrics and colors. But the style and fit was just what she wanted even if everything else was nowhere even close.

"I can honestly say I've never seen anything like it. You have skill. Your husband…" Rick could have kicked himself because she'd asked him not to call him that. "Josh is a fool. With a little work you might be able to sell what you make. We get you to Paris you might even end up famous. Put your dresses on that runway I saw one time on TV."

"You're nuts." She was good or at least she thought she was, but she wasn't anywhere near that good.

"Fine, don't listen to me, but you are shortchanging yourself if you don't at least try." He challenged her for her next dress. "Next time after you get your cloth I want you to try and make my eyes pop out of my head."

"You just want to see me naked again." Kate was sure he was leading her on. She could wish she was that good but didn't think she was.

"You're a married woman so, no, I don't want to see you naked." If she was standing naked right in front of her they would end up in bed. He was sure of it. She was pretty, even if her hair color wasn't her. Her legs were incredibly long and he liked her breasts. Especially in a wet t-shirt.

Kate was ready to collapse. He would have to remind her that she was married. Josh was never going to give her a divorce. Never! Her biggest mistake of her life was still hurting her. "I should never have married him."

Kate watched as Rick got up and she found herself in his arms. It allowed her to melt into him and let him hold her. Let him work at holding her up.

"Maybe he doesn't actually have to sign the divorce papers. Maybe if you just send them to him and wait the required time it'll happen automatically. I'm no lawyer, but maybe," Rick suggested quietly.

Kate knew she shouldn't but suddenly he had given her hope. "I suppose you have another friend."

That had Rick chuckling. "I've gotten around a little. You'd be surprised." He had a few friends and they were all over the place in what they could do.

"So I'm learning." Kate was in no hurry to escape his arms. She was comfortable right where she was. "What are we going to do?"

"You're going to keep telling me everything. Pick up where you left off last time and tell me what happened next." Rick heard her moan. Talking about her shitty life was the last thing she wanted to do. "That was part of our deal."

"I know." She still didn't like it. "Fine, where was I?" She might as well talk while she was in his arms. It made her feel better.


	8. Chapter 8

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 8_

Josh had reached the conclusion that he wasn't going to find his wife on his own. He needed help and since he was a cop and there were a whole lot of cops all over, they could help him. They just wouldn't know they were helping him.

He had a recent picture of Kate and had attached that. Along with that he added that she was a suspect. **Wanted for**** Murder**. Any other action wouldn't get him the response or help he was looking for. Once she was found and caught they would simply detain her and notify him so that he could come out and pick her up.

Gabe McClure, the other homicide inspector called out, "Josh, we've got a new case."

"You take it, I'm busy." Technically finding Kate was his only job and he didn't need the distraction.

"The captain says otherwise, so grab your stuff and let's go." Gabe had a higher up behind him this time. He didn't know what was wrong with Josh but the man needed to do his damn job.

"Yeah, yeah." He would start sending it out as a fax to all the numbers he could think of when he got back so he put it in his drawer for later.

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"What's that?" Kate had never seen anything like it before, though the fact that it had an antenna gave her a clue.

"They left me a walkie-talkie. It's an SCR-536 made by Motorola in the States. We tested it before they left but what we don't know is if it has enough range. Caribou Island isn't really that far, but it might be too far." Rick looked at his watch since they had agreed on a time to test it. Fifteen minutes after the agreed on time he hadn't heard a thing so he started calling out, though he still heard nothing.

"Do you want to stay here or come with me?" Rick asked. He planned on walking to the far end of the island and get as close as he could to Caribou Island.

"I'm coming." She was curious if this really would work. It almost looked a little science fiction-y to her. The device was kind of big and it had this long metal rod that stuck out the top that whipped around.

Kate only went just so far and watched Rick walk out onto the rocks of the northernmost end, risking being splashed by a wave. He was far enough out that she could barely hear his voice and didn't hear exactly what he said. Then suddenly he was yelling into it.

He was still way out there when he began celebrating. Now she was watching him work his way back to her.

"It worked! For all of about one minute. Then it died but it came back again for a few seconds. Except it died and stayed that way," Rick said, still sort of excited.

"Oh, the supply ship is still on schedule which is just short of three weeks from now. They don't know anything about the radio antenna tower replacement. They do have a plan, however. They're going to come out in two days with a much smaller antenna. They want me to mount it to the maintenance building and connect it to the radio. The hope is that this antenna means I don't have to go back out there to talk to someone. So we'll see." Rick counted it as a victory. Especially when they didn't know when they would both be in position to hear the other.

She still wasn't happy that he was going to do some research on Josh. She was terribly afraid that he would figure out where she was, show up there, and kill Rick, dragging her back home and doing god only knew what to her.

"Now what?" Kate queried since without enough cloth she couldn't make much of anything else. Though she could use some paper and do some designs.

"We go back to doing what we've been doing." Rick didn't see any other choice. "Where did we leave off after you married Josh?" She needed to keep up her part of the deal, even if the deal was mostly on her.

"Christmas." Kate really didn't want to talk about her first Christmas from hell, but she didn't have a choice. "Technically it was Thanksgiving when I started preparing for Christmas." She began the next part of her story.

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Kate was in her room when another boat showed up. The windows didn't have any blinds on them so trying to get a peek, while tempting, was out. If she was spotted it would put both of them on the spot. They still had to come up with a plan for getting her off this island, but that was in the future. For now she was hiding.

Rick showed up at her door. "They're gone. They left behind a few things. One was the antenna that looks a lot like a large TV antenna so I'm not sure this thing is going to work."

"Isn't an antenna an antenna?" Kate didn't know anything about it but surely they were the same, right?

"You would think so, wouldn't you." But Rick was shaking his head. "I would be so much simpler. Oh, and they also brought a box of paper and another box of colored pencils." He thought that might make her happy.

Kate squealed, "Where, where?" She didn't wait for him to answer and went racing out of her room and flying down the stairs to look for it. Between the two of them they were going through paper fast and her pencils had been old to start with.

Rick rolled his eyes and finally went downstairs after changing clothes to put up their stupid antenna and prove that it wasn't going to work.

He found her in the dining room sitting at the table with her new pencils and the entire box of paper. She looked busy so he left her to it. He had work to do. Besides if it kept her busy and out from underfoot he was happy.

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Rick had his antenna up and connected to the radio and it took him only a minute to prove that it wasn't going to work. "Nobody listens to me." They had wasted his time with this stupid thing. He walked back to the house in a bad mood, grumbling and muttering most of the way.

That lasted until he stepped inside and smelled Kate's cooking. He followed his nose and found her busy at the stove. He stepped up next to her and inhaled deeply. She more felt him than saw him until she saw a spoon sneaking into what she was doing. "Get your hands out of that!" She swatted his spoon away.

"It smells great!" He wasn't joking this time much like the other times she cooked.

"By the time you go wash and set the table it'll be done. Now shoo." Kate batted him away and smiled as he walked away. It actually felt good to be cooking for him. It was a far cry from when she cooked for Josh. Rick wanted to taste her cooking while Josh just wanted to control her and never said anything about the taste.

Since Kate had taken over the dining room table they were stuck with using the little two person table located in the kitchen. It meant they sat across from each other, rather close.

Rick was eating with proper manners but he was getting close to done while Kate had barely started. "Hungry?" She was amused when he didn't even answer her but got up to get seconds. This time he ate much slower. "I take it you like it." He obviously did since he was eating seconds which he sometimes did, just not always.

"You're much better than I am. Too bad you're married." Kate would be a real catch. Then he stopped eating and put his fork down. "I'm sorry, Kate." Talking about her marriage was a sore point for her. He hadn't meant to remind her that she was married.

"It's okay, it was my mistake. If I could take it back I would." Turning back time was impossible. She had to live with her mistake.

"So would you divorce him?" Rick asked her, not sure just where he was going with this.

"In a heartbeat, but he would never sign the papers." She was trapped.

"Maybe," Rick responded.

That had Kate stopping from eating. "What?" What did he know? What had he done?

"This last visit I gave them my papers for my friends. Two are going to do some research on Josh while another is going to do some research on how divorces work in Canada. I don't know what any of them are going to find, but I thought I should ask." Rick shrugged.

Kate was ready to kiss him. If he could get her a divorce she would have his baby. Then she sat back. She was screwed and she knew it. Rick knew that look.

"Don't give up just yet." It hadn't even been a whole month yet.

"It doesn't matter. He'll find me eventually. My only real hope was to get as far away as possible. Some tiny town in Texas or somewhere else, maybe." Just disappear.

"TEXAS! Might as well move to the moon." Rick thought very little of Texas, though he thought very little of most of the States. Texas was the worst possible option for her. "Have a little faith. Maybe Paris. You keep designing dresses and maybe you'll be a well known designer and do Paris shows." She should be dreaming not thinking her life was over.

"Paris." Kate huffed out a laugh. Living in Paris wasn't even the wisp of a daydream.

"Never say never. We've only just begun to fight." Rick wasn't giving up so neither should she.

That had Kate looking at him. He had said _WE._ As in he was behind her and willing to help her. She shouldn't hope but couldn't help it. Was it really possible that he would find an answer?

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"What are you doing?" She found him in the dining room looking over her doodles. They were mostly just that too. Doodles. Not really a design.

"I think you should reconsider your thoughts on being in Paris and doing Paris shows. I know I don't know women's fashion, but these look pretty good to me." Rick put them all down on the table in front of him so he could look each of them over.

Kate moved in and scooped them all up. "They're just some design doodles. They're nothing." She didn't even know where she was going with them.

"Don't shortchange yourself, Kate." Rick got up and kissed her cheek and headed out of the house to get to work.

Stunned, Kate stood there holding a hand to her cheek where he had kissed her. She really was learning to like him. He was kind, maybe a little funny sometimes, he certainly worked hard and knew what he was doing. He was handsome and he was built. It left her wondering _What If._

What if she kissed him back? What if they did more than kiss one of these times? Was he kissing her because he really liked her or was he kissing her because he wanted her to feel better.

But she kept going back to the fact that she was married. She had to get away from Josh first. Everything else was just going to have to wait.

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Kate had been in the dining room trying to do more than just doodle. That was when she noticed the time. "SHIT! Lunch." Rick hadn't stopped for breakfast which was actually a good thing since she had managed to sleep in. She hadn't meant to but she had. Sleeping in was something new. Josh had never allowed her to do that before. She had to be up to do her job.

She got up to try and find him to see what he wanted for lunch. Since he had skipped breakfast she was betting a simple sandwich wasn't going to cut it.

She opened the door, closing it quickly and trying to be silent about it. All the color drained from her face as she ran to her room. She had seen Rick and two other men walking from the maintenance building toward the house.

She closed her door and worked at being as quiet as a mouse.

Rick hadn't seen the boat since he was inside the maintenance building doing his work. In this case it was maintenance on the main generator that served the lighthouse light.

"Rodgers." The two men had started there first since this was were they had docked their boat.

"GOD, WILL! Don't do that." Rick placed a hand over his heart.

"Sorry but we have news so we thought you should know. We were also hoping for some lunch." They had taken the risk that they could get lunch here while delivering their news and some of what Rick had asked for.

"Sure." Rick starts walking for the main house. What he didn't know was where Kate was. That was until he saw the door open and then close even faster. He surmised that Kate had seen them and would retreat to her room.

Since it was fast and easy Rick made them all sandwiches, got out some potato chips, opened several cans of soup and put the percolator on the stove.

"What brings you here?" Yes, he was out of communication but he couldn't help that.

"This is for you." He handed over a large manila envelope that was sealed and had his name on it. "We've also got news on your antenna. Bids are out and we've got three of them back. Naturally one's lower then all the others so he will likely be selected. This also means that you can expect for him to arrive so he can survey the sight and decide what he needs for installation and how he's going to get it all here," Will said.

"That's great news. Is the supply ship still on schedule?" Since there were two of them he was going through supplies a little faster than he liked.

"It is." Jacques spoke up this time with his French accent. "You must be a pretty good cook. Some of what you asked for is unusual. Beef and chicken are standard. But buffalo, venison, and lamb? We're going to have to get you to cook for us one of these trips."

Rick tried to keep a straight face. He had simply handed over the list that Kate had given him in the hopes that they could augment his normal delivery. He hadn't actually read it. He didn't know what she was going to do with those meats either. However based on what she was cooking with what he did have he could hardly wait for what she had planned.

"I'll try and put the leftovers in the refrigerator for you," Rick smiled since they all knew he wasn't going to do it. He was going to eat all of it.

"Is there anything else you need?" Will inquired. "The parts on your list will come with your supply run."

Rick started shaking his head, then a thought hit him. "Fuel for the lawnmower and the other grounds equipment." He didn't think he had asked for that. "And spark plugs, oil and oil filter." He had everything else taken care of.

"You got it." Will would do it since it was easy.

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"Thanks for lunch." Will and Jacques shook his hand.

"Glad you came. Come back anytime." He had Kate but he was glad for the company.

"Getting lonely, are we?" Will teased.

"Well since you brought me a TV antenna you could at least bring me a TV." He wasn't sure what there was to watch but anything was better than nothing.

"I'll see if it's in the budget. Your antenna has already broken it." Granted it wasn't his fault, but it was still money.

"You do that." Rick watched them leave and then ran to the house. He had a manila envelope to check. He had high hopes that something was in it from his friends.

Rick read all that was inside it before calling for Kate.

"They almost caught me. Did you know they were coming?" She wasn't blaming him and she never would. But maybe it had skipped his mind.

"No, they were a surprise. Without a radio they have to come here by boat to tell me anything. So they told me that the supply ship's on schedule. That they've selected a contractor to install the antenna. We can expect him to come visit the site in a few days." It was his warning to Kate that she was going to have to hide again.

"I'll try and keep my eyes open." Kate didn't want to hide but that was her life now.

"They also brought me one more thing." He handed over the manila envelope since it was mostly for her.

"One of my guys came through. …Open it." She was just sitting there holding it.

It was already open so Kate knew he had already looked at it and knew what was in it. He could have just told her but she chose to indulge him and read what was inside it.

_The Act of Getting a Divorce in Canada_

_When a marriage is over the only way to legally end your relationship is to be granted a Divorce. In Canada it is not required that both parties want their marriage to end in order for a Divorce to be granted. It is only necessary that one party prove that the marriage has broken down and can not be repaired. The process of proving that a marriage has broken down is quite often referred to as "Grounds for Divorce". We will explain the valid grounds for Divorce in Canada, further down this page._

_Throughout Canada every Divorce is governed by the __Federal Divorce Act.__ However, each province will vary on the specific documents and procedures used for their individual jurisdiction. This is just one of the reasons that it is best to __contact a lawyer specializing in family law,__ when seeking a Divorce in Canada. A local lawyer will be familiar with the Family Law Act and all of the procedures in your province or jurisdiction. They will review your personal circumstances and then explain all of your obligations during a Divorce, as well as ensure your rights are fully protected._

_Understanding the Grounds for Divorce in Canada_

_The only way you will be granted a Divorce in Canada is if you can prove to the courts that your marriage has broken down and cannot be repaired. Currently, there are two ways you can legally prove a marriage breakdown. That is by completion of a one year separation from your spouse, or by providing valid proof that adultery or abuse occurred. Most divorces in Canada are granted based on the completion of a one year separation – this is called a "No Fault Divorce"._

_One Year Separation – No Fault Divorce_

_First, let us clarify that you do not have to wait until you have been separated for a full year, in order to apply for a divorce in Canada. In fact, you can begin the application process as soon as you and your spouse are separated. However, the courts will not grant you a divorce, until the full one year separation has been completed._

_That said, separating for one year does not always mean that you and your spouse must be living at separate addresses. What it means, is that you must be living separate lives. Separate houses are the most clear and uncomplicated way to complete a one year separation period. However, in the event that separate homes are not possible (due to finances, children etc) you can indeed continue to live in the same house. In this type of situation, the court will require that the couple prove that while they were abiding in the same dwelling, they no longer continued to live as a couple. This can be complicated and it is always best to obtain legal assistance in this situation._

_Lastly, if you and your spouse separate and then get back together, you are not always required to begin the one year separation period again. You will only have to restart your one year separation period if you were back together for a period of more than 90 days, or for several periods which added up amount to more than 90 days. This law allows couples a chance to try and work on repairing their marriage, without delaying a Divorce in the event that their attempts are unsuccessful._

_Generally speaking, a __"No Fault, Uncontested Divorce"__ is the least complicated and inexpensive way for couples to obtain their Divorce. However, we understand that every situation is unique and getting advice from a lawyer who fully understands your personal circumstances is always the best approach._

_Adultery or Cruelty – For Fault Divorce_

_Couples who chose to file a divorce on the grounds of adultery or cruelty are filing what is referred to as a "For Fault Divorce". This simply means that one spouse is trying to prove that the other is solely at fault for the breakdown of their marriage._

_It is very important to be prepared when filing a "For Fault Divorce", as the courts will require proof of exactly what has occurred in order to substantiate the claim. For this type of divorce legal representation is almost always necessary. "For Fault Divorces" as usually not recommended, as they tend to be costly, lengthy and difficult. Also, due to the backlog in our court system, it is not uncommon for a "For Fault Divorce" to take a year or more to be processed. This means, a couple could have successfully completed a one year separation (a no fault divorce) in less time, without the added expenses and stress._

_Lastly, it is important to point out that regardless of how you prove your marriage has broken down, or under what grounds you file a divorce, this has no impact on the courts decisions regarding custody, access and support of children._

_Since every individual situation is unique, we recommend that you have a __family lawyer review the specifics of your personal situation.__ This will allow an expert to give you the advice you need to make the best decisions for your future._

Kate had finished reading it all and was staring at Rick. She couldn't believe it. It couldn't be that simple, could it?

"He added a note that isn't in there any more. Basically it breaks it down. He needs to know your province for where you lived to verify the local requirements. But put simply you need to file the papers, show proof that you no longer live with him, and one year later you are given a divorce. You will officially be rid of him."

Kate couldn't stop the tears. That he would do this for her showed that he was an amazing man. She had been so very fortunate to end up washed up on his island after her ship sank or as her ship sank.

"Thank you!" Kate stood up, took his head in her hands, and kissed him with all the thanks that she could put into the kiss. It was their first real kiss and while she was holding his head he moved his hands to hold her head and was kissing her back.

Kate finally broke from the kiss and looked him in the eye. She really wished she had met him before she ever even saw Josh. However, her mind reminded her that she was still married. But maybe when she wasn't….


	9. Chapter 9

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 9_

Josh was walking back up to the house. Sylvia was out front working on her yard so he didn't have to knock on her door. "Mrs. Anderson." He watched her stop working and turn to look at him; she even stood up. "I have a few more questions for you." He was positive this was the right Sylvia. She was easily in her mid 60s. Her husband had died from a mental illness years ago, leaving her alone. She was living off of his insurance payment.

"I don't know what else I can tell you, officer. I've already told you all I know." She was tired of talking to this jerk. She was learning why her friend was so afraid of him.

"I just need a moment of your time." What he really wanted was inside so he could snoop around and find something. Problem was his investigation was a police investigation. He was doing this himself for personal reasons. So she had to let him in.

"I'm done talking to you. I have nothing to add." Sylvia retreated inside her home where she closed and forcefully locked the door behind her.

Josh felt his anger rising. She knew something, she had to know something. Then he heard the sound of the lock snapping shut and it had him boiling. If she wasn't going to talk he was going to have to try something else.

Sylvia waited a couple of minutes before pulling the curtains to one side just enough for her to peek out. She saw him still standing right where she had left him. Even from where she was standing she could hear the gears in his head turning.

She really didn't know anything. Well almost anything. The plan was for her to make it to the States. She'd given Kate as much cash as she had at the time along with a few clothes that would fit her. She didn't even know which bus Kate had taken, though she had suggested a destination that would get her closer. She hadn't heard from her since then. She was still hoping that she would call and tell her something, but so far nothing.

Sylvia let the blinds close and went to the back door to lock it, too. Then she retreated to the kitchen to make herself a snack.

Josh looked over the house and began to create a plan. This woman was involved somehow, of that he was certain.

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Kate was presently consumed with her latest drawing. This one wasn't a doodle. This one was a real idea that she wasn't going to get to make even after her new cloth showed up. She had let Rick's idea of getting into Paris get to her so now she was trying to design a dress suitable for a Paris runway show. It was unlike anything she had ever drawn before.

Then she felt Rick standing not directly behind her but next to her. "What do you think?" Most known designers in Paris were men so maybe Rick could help her.

"Are you planning on making it?" It would keep her busy and hopefully make her happy.

Kate shook her head though. "I'm not going to have the cloth. This is just for fun." It was all it was likely ever going to be.

"Never say never, but it looks nice." Rick bent down, kissed her head, and turned to leave.

"Rick." She wasn't sure if they should talk about yesterday's kiss or not. It was just that these little kisses were happening more often. "I… I mean I wish." She didn't know just what to say.

She watched him come back and lean down and truly kiss her this time. She kissed him back until he caressed her cheek and moved back from her. Rick liked that she was kissing him back. It meant she was interested in him like he was interested in her. But he knew that he couldn't push her. He didn't _want_ to push her. She was a married woman and you didn't mess around with someone's wife. Not even her husband.

"Enjoy your drawing. I'm going to be spending most of the day changing out some electrical wiring. Come find me if you need something." Rick gave her a quick kiss on the lips and left her to her work.

Kate sat there touching her lips. His kisses were nothing like Josh's. His were soft and tender just like he was. She was falling for him and she knew it. She closed her eyes and sighed, wishing she wasn't married. He had, however, given her hope.

Kate had immediately asked for his guy to start the process. Have him send all the paperwork and she would fill it all out and send it back somehow. She knew Josh was going to flip but she desperately to be divorced from him so she could go forward with her life, hopefully with Rick. She wondered if he even loved her and would it be enough to marry her.

When she had run away she had never dreamed she would end up here.

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Kate couldn't believe she had never been up here. She knew there was a lighthouse since she had seen it several times, but she had never actually asked about coming up here. Now she was. She was right next to the light itself.

However, she was up there because she was hiding. She had used the bathroom before going up there. She even had a glass of ice and a sandwich. Today was the day that their supply ship was supposed to show up. Rick didn't know for a fact that they wouldn't enter her room but they might need to use the only bathroom and it was right next to her room.

This was now the safest place for her to hide.

Kate raised her head up to look again and this time she saw a ship. She also saw Rick at the edge waving. It was a big ship. Big enough that she didn't know how it was going to make it to the tiny dock to unload all that it was bringing.

The timing was good too. They had no perishables left. All the chicken was gone as was all of the meat. She was down to trying to be creative using canned chicken and SPAM. At first she hadn't had an idea what to do with all the SPAM that they had. It was an entire case. But since it was just about all they had she was starting to learn to like it.

She was on her knees, watching. They stood no chance of seeing her tiny head this high up so she was safe.

Kate watched as a boom started pulling stuff out of the hull and down into a smaller boat that came to their little dock. She watched as Rick helped to unload it and directed where it all went. Some of it went into the maintenance building while most of it went into the house. Some of it went into the garage and even a bit went into one of the little storage buildings.

Then she watched as they didn't actually unload the boat. They routed a hose from it into the maintenance building. "Oil or fuel," Kate finally guessed. It made sense since the light behind her needed oil to power its generator and that was the whole reason for this place.

It took them more than one trip to fill those tanks that she'd seen earlier. They took up almost half of the building. Eventually she watched as Rick stood at the edge again and was waving. She was guessing that meant they were done with their delivery.

It meant they had food again. It also meant she had bolts of cloth, new needles, more thread, buttons, zippers, everything she would ever need to make more clothes. She even had plans to make Rick a shirt. She was looking forward to that. Especially since it meant he was going to have to be topless so she could measure him and run her hands over his body.

She watched as Rick walked, but not to the house. He was walking toward the lighthouse. Instead of going down to meet him she waited right where she was.

"Hi!" She greeted him after he opened the hatch in the floor to climb up to join her.

"We got everything. The next shipment will be in about a month or so based on weather," Rick told her as he closed the hatch and sat down.

Kate now really understood why weather meant something. The big ship had no chance of docking at their little dock and even the little boat would have trouble if the waves were too high.

"And?" She wanted to hear everything.

"Your bolts of cloth are in your room and they take up a lot of space. The rest of it's on the dining room table. You wouldn't believe the ribbing I got over having a sewing machine, bolts of cloth, women's clothing, bras panties and all the other stuff." They had really teased Rick over it all.

Kate scrunched up her face. "Sorry."

Rick waved a hand at her and shrugged. "Eh, I'll survive. The pantry's full, the freezer's full, we've got new books and magazines to read. The tanks are full and they have a date when the antenna contractor's going to come out to survey the site."

Kate couldn't wait to get her hands on her new cloth and even all the new meat. "Venison, buffalo…" She saw Rick nod his head. "Thank goodness. I'm so tired of trying to figure out what to do with SPAM." She was out of ideas on what to do with that stuff.

That had Rick laughing. "They brought us two cases of that, too." It wasn't on their list but they had brought it as well. "They brought one lone turkey and one little duck as well, along with some processed ham and a lot of cheese. Eggs, bacon, sausage, it's a lot. There are also some perishables."

"Oh, they also brought some other things. I hope you know how to use them since I have no idea." Rick didn't have a clue what to do.

"Which is?" Kate couldn't begin to guess.

"Cases of glass jars with lids, a deep enameled pot with a lid and some kind of wire frame inside, and a pressure cooker. They said something about canning." He understood canning, but had no idea how it worked.

Kate's face lit up. "YES! Yes, yes, yes." Canning meant that what they now had would last that much longer. It also meant she had a lot of work in her future.

There was one more thing and she hated to bring it up, but it was the 800 pound gorilla in their lives. "What about Josh?"

"I got that as well. I haven't read it yet so I don't know what my friends sent. We'll just have to see. There's also another envelope from the guy about your future divorce." Kate didn't know which part she was the most afraid of. Either meant Josh might find out where she was now. That had her scared witless.

"It'll be fine. You'll see." Rick wasn't willing to throw in the towel.

"He's a cop, Rick! He has access to other cops. The entire country could be looking for me right now for all I know." Her eyes filled with tears. She was so weary of being afraid.

"We'll think of something." Rick crawled the short distance between them and leaned in and kissed her. Kate wiped her tears and kissed him back. When Rick broke from the kiss she grabbed his head and kissed him again.

That was when she felt one of his hands on her breast. She moaned into the kiss. He was touching her and she wanted him to. They were still kissing with passion when she felt him working on the buttons of her only dress she owned now because she'd made it herself. Since she only had one bra she wasn't wearing it at the moment.

Kate let him pull her dress open just enough so that his hand was now on her bare breast. She moaned into the kiss yet again. She so wanted him to pinch her nipple. To have his lips suckling her on the then hard nipple. God, but she wanted him. She wanted to be made love to and she just knew Rick would do just that.

There were one or two problems and one of them was a big one. "Rick, we have to stop." She broke from the kiss and pulled away just an inch or so. "I'm married." She was married to a real asshole, but she was married. The other problem was the concrete floor they were both sitting on. If they were going to have sex she wanted a bed. She really didn't want to be one of those women.

Rick opened his mouth to tell her that he didn't care any more. Except she was right. She was married. "We need to fix that." He wanted to make love to her. To make sure that she knew pleasure. The kind of pleasure that he was dedicated to bring to her.

Kate could only nod. She wanted to be divorced even more now. It was clear they both wanted the other and she really did want him.

He held his hand out to her. "We should probably go back down. You have some paperwork to fill out." It was going to take a year, but it was going to work out. It had to.

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Rick was going through both envelopes while Kate began looking over all the stuff that had been delivered for her. Her cloth, thread, needles, everything.

She had even had carried down one of the bolts so she could unroll it out and get started on Rick's shirt. She even had new tape measures. She was positively giddy. Then Rick joined her with papers.

"These are yours." He put them down on the table. "It looks simple enough to fill out. There's one small problem that I can see. For you to have moved out for a year, it asks for where you live now and how long you've lived there."

Kate drew in a sharp breath. If she filled that out Josh would know exactly where she was and would come after her. She wanted a divorce, but getting one could be the death of her.

"I have a thought about that. Everyone talks about this being Caribou Island when it isn't, actually. Technically it's Lighthouse Island. If we get you an address on Caribou Island Josh won't find you there because you'll be here instead. No one's actually seen you so it won't help him a whole lot." It was all Rick had but it might work. "They haven't seen you there and they haven't seen you here. It's basically a dead end. So fill it out and we can send it in when the next boat shows up. I'll get you an address to use."

Rick stepped up to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm here, Kate. Don't panic." He kissed her and felt her kissing him back. Next her head was resting on his shoulder. "One step at a time, sweetheart, one step at a time." He felt her nod.

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Rick had left Kate in the dining room and went back to study what his friends had found on Josh Davidson. He even had a picture. He had to admit that he was a good-looking guy. He didn't look like a control freak that was all asshole on the inside. He knew when he had joined the police and worked his way up to being a homicide detective. He had his address and his phone number. Not that Rick had a phone himself. He also knew Josh's age which reminded him that he didn't know Kate's age. Not that her age was overly important to him.

He knew when he had bought the house they had been living in. He knew what the house was worth when it was purchased. He even now knew who his parents were and where they were located. He wasn't all that surprised to learn that they lived in a totally different area of Canada. "I wonder if they know you're an asshole?" Maybe contacting his parents would shed some light on this situation. He wondered if Josh's parents would roll over on their own son or would they defend him even if he was a serial killer.

Thankfully his friends would be making that contact and not him.

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Rick grabbed a piece of paper and one of his pencils and began jotting down what he wanted his friends to do next. He sort of wished he knew a couple of guys that did questionable things. Like arson for example, but that just wasn't him. Still he did have a couple of ideas.

Then he worked at trying to remember an address that Kate could use. Numbers were sometimes not always his friend and he had a habit of interchanging numbers so instead of 2356 it would become 2536.

He picked up a different piece of paper since he knew Kate wouldn't like what he was doing, but he felt that it was necessary. Resolute, he wrote down an address. He took it to Kate who was actually filling out her divorce papers. "Here, use this for an address." Rick handed her the sheet of paper.

Kate read the address out loud. "34A Blue Heron Lane, Caribou Island, Nova Scotia, B0K1H0." She glanced up at him. "What is this place?" She didn't want to get someone in trouble.

"Vacant land so if he does come out here he isn't going to find anything. And since no one has seen you or ever heard of you he won't get anything out of it." Rick liked it.

Kate thought about it. It had its merits, however, she saw a flaw in this address. "I'm supposed to be gone for a year for this to work. How can I live in an empty lot?" What if he was able to establish who owned the land and it wasn't her?

Rick had an answer for that, too. "This is where you're planning to move to. You haven't actually made it yet and when you do you'll be living in a tent since that's all you can afford."

Kate wasn't sure she could even afford the tent, let alone the land. Still she didn't have a better idea so she took the paper and wrote in the address.

"All done." She put her pencil down and handed over the finished forms for Rick to send to his friend. She really didn't like the idea that Josh could make it that close to her. But Rick was right. No one outside of him knew anything about her being anywhere near here. Not even Sylvia knew exactly where she was now.

Rick took it, added it to his other sheets, sealed it, and put stamps on it. It was ready to go out as soon as a boat showed up. He thought they were actually beginning to get somewhere.


	10. Chapter 10

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 10_

_One month later_

They were back out on the beach today. Rick was in his swim shorts while Kate still had to use one of his t-shirts and a pair of panties. "I could learn to like this," Kate murmured. She loved lying on the beach with the sun beating down. It was a pity that the water was so damn cold.

"Better like it while you can. Summer doesn't last long here. In a few weeks we're both going to be wearing heavy coats and walking around in boots," Rick said.

That was one of the things Kate found in her room. A new coat that was her size even if it was a man's coat since the zipper was on the wrong side. It was nicely made and looked warm. She also had a new pair of boots. They were men's size so they were a little wide, however she'd also gotten some thick socks that should help with that.

Kate turned her head to look at him. "Snow, really?"

"Count on it." It wasn't a lot but it would snow.

"Good. Maybe we can make a snowman." She didn't have twigs for its arms, but she did have carrots for a nose. She could even put her new winter hat on its head.

"Snowball fights," Rick countered and shifted to look at her.

"Bring it on, mister." Kate felt so much better since arriving here.

"I'll hit you so many times we won't need to make a snowman. We'll have a living snowman." Rick boasted with a smile.

She rolled her eyes. "That's mighty bold talk." She began smiling when she saw him start to lean her way. She even met him halfway so they could kiss. Kissing was something that was happening more and more often lately.

Kate felt better now that she'd filled out her divorce papers though she still worried about just what Josh would do when he got them.

They went back to just lying there soaking up the sun. Only her legs were exposed, however Rick's chest and legs were exposed. She reached for the sun cream. A little tan was better than nothing.

Kate got up on her knees and started working it into his chest. As much as she had liked putting it on his back this was even better. It even gave her a chance to pinch his nipple. Rick's eyes snapped open and he lifted his head but she pushed it back down and went back to applying the sun cream. By the time she had made it down to his stomach she noticed one more thing. He had an erection and if she was right, he was a very healthy guy.

Part of her wanted to take her panties off, lower herself down onto him, and ride him. Another part of her reminded her that she was still married. It was just that she knew she was falling in love with him. He was a kind and handsome man. Just the man her friend Sylvia would have wanted for her before she'd married Josh.

"I've filed for divorce." It was enough to get her to make a decision. Intercourse was still out but that didn't mean she would leave him like that. She slipped her hand under his waistband and began pulling his shorts down. "Kate!" Rick opened his eyes instantly. If she kept on doing what she was doing things were going to progress really far. Instead of answering him she leaned down and took his cock in her mouth. While he was willing to wait for her that didn't mean he didn't want her, because he did.

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Kate was sitting on him after making him climax in her mouth. Right now she was kissing him deeply and sharing with him what he'd given her.

She straightened up after sharing what was in her mouth. She felt Rick start to move like he was going to twist them so that he was on top. "Not yet, Rick." She pushed him back down. "I'm sorry but I'm still married. But that doesn't mean I can't help you." She had decided that she was going to do this a lot. He really was a healthy man and she couldn't wait to feel him inside her.

"That is a two edged sword, Kate." Rick smiled wide and it had Kate questioning what he was thinking. "Take off your panties and scoot up here." She thought about it. She was willing to give him a blow job literally daily, so why couldn't she let him do the same to her? Just so long as that was where it stopped…for now.

Kate stood up and pulled her panties off – they already had a wet spot on them – then sat back down and shifted herself forward until she was sitting on his face. At that point she felt his tongue which made her moan. Josh had _never_ done this after they were married. In fact he'd only ever done it once before they were married.

She couldn't keep from running her hands through his hair and actually started grinding her core over his mouth.

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Kate was back on her towel after climaxing twice. Not just once but twice. Josh almost never gave her orgasms let alone two in one night. Her chest was still heaving as she calmed down. This pretty much secured it for her. She was falling in love with him.

"You okay over there?" It had been her idea but that didn't mean Rick was sure she was happy with her choice. He certainly was happy with today.

"I'm great!" She meant it, too. She rolled over so she could kiss him again and could still taste herself on his lips. Then she kept rolling her way until she was on him and slipped her arm across him. "We can do that more often if you want." Kate was more than willing to do that a lot.

Rick began smiling. He had a new idea that might push her too far but he was willing to ask. "Move in with me, Kate. Share my bed with me. We'll still only do what you're comfortable with." He had ordered boxes of condoms for when she was ready and all of them were in his room.

That had Kate opening her mouth partly in shock. If she started sleeping with him in his bed it might lead to sex. It wasn't that she didn't want to have sex with him. It was just that it still felt wrong. She wasn't that kind of girl. But the idea of sleeping naked with him had real appeal. Though it did mean that they could do this more often and maybe even daily. She nodded. "Okay. Is your closet big enough?" It wasn't like her closet was full since it still barely had anything in it.

"I'll make it big enough. I'll even empty some drawers for you." Rick couldn't wait and would do whatever it took for her to stay there.

Kate didn't answer him, however maybe she did since she kissed him.

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"Davidson! My office. NOW!" his captain bellowed then retreated to sit behind his desk.

"Sir." Josh showed up, not sure just what this was about. However, he soon did when Captain Greenway showed him the fax that he had sent out.

"Murder!? This is your wife, Davidson. Not some wanted criminal. She didn't just escape from a prison. This is your wife, damn it." He really couldn't believe that Davidson was capable of this. Granted he didn't know much about his personal life, but this was taking things much too far.

"Sir." Josh was battling to come up with a reason that would satisfy him. "It's not what you think."

"What's in the thermos, Davidson? What's in it? You take it with you everywhere you go." He wanted answers.

"Water," Josh responded.

"Water, huh? Hand it over. HAND IT OVER, DAVIDSON! NOW!" He reached out and snatched it out of his hand. It didn't smell anything like water though it did smell a lot like vodka. "Vodka isn't water. You're suspended indefinitely without pay pending a psychological test as well as an internal review of your actions. I suggest you spend this time preparing to be fired for your actions," his boss snarled.

Josh's mouth dropped open. He couldn't be fired. He needed his position to help him find his wife. He had broken into that old woman's house one night a couple of weeks ago while she slept. He had gotten a scare when she had gotten up and come out of her bedroom to use the bathroom. But she had simply returned to her bedroom when she was done.

He hadn't found anything that would help him until he had searched the kitchen. In there he had found a written recipe that looked a lot like his wife's handwriting. After taking it home with it he had compared it to her handwriting that he had. It was hers, he was sure of it.

It told him that he had the right person. He just needed to get her to talk. But without his badge he didn't have anything to hold over her in an attempt to get her to talk.

"Get out, Davidson. If I catch you doing anything about this I'll lock you up until your trial." He waved the flier of his wife being wanted for murder at him and placed it on his desk.

Josh wasn't ready for this. He didn't have an answer for this yet.

He hadn't been sleeping well and he was drinking the hard stuff more often lately. The paper delivery was just piling up at his front door. The kitchen sink was filled with dirty dishes since he didn't do the cleaning. He had Kate for that. He hadn't even cleaned up the blood on the floor from when he had been stabbed. He had Kate for that.

It was just that he didn't have Kate to do any of that so he hadn't.

Josh wasn't really thinking clearly when he got up to leave.

"Not so fast. Your weapon and your badge." Captain Greenway tapped his desk and impatiently waited for him to put them on his desk.

When Josh put his hand on his weapon so did the captain. He really didn't think Davidson would do something stupid, but then this wasn't the man the thought he knew. He just might do something really, really stupid. Instead Davidson put his weapon on his desk and then his badge. "I need to find her."

"You don't do it like this. I knew you were off, Davidson, but I didn't know you were stupid. STUPID! You sent out a nationwide APB for her. She's not a murderer. She's your goddamn wife. You know better. Now get out!" Greenway thundered and pointed at his door. Now he had to find a new man and explain this to the rest of his office.

Josh stopped to get a new bottle on the way home. He was screwed and didn't know what to do next. He needed a lead. A goddamn lead!

He found a large manila envelope tucked into his door. He pulled it out, unlocked his front door, and went inside. He was forced to rinse out a glass since they were all dirty then poured a large amount into his glass.

He sat down at the dinning room table next to the envelope he found in his door. After draining half of it he put the glass down and opened the envelope. What he saw first was the word at the top. **DIVORCE**

"Divorce! She thinks she can divorce me! Stupid bitch. No one divorces me!" He swept his arm across the table, clearing it over nearly everything. What was breakable broke when it hit the floor and joined everything else that was broken and still on the floor.

Roughly an hour passed. He had calmed down a little and picked up the envelope and paperwork and put it on the table. This time he started reading it.

"Caribou Island. She's on goddamn Caribou Island." He had no idea how she had managed to get that far but now he knew where she was. He just had to figure out how he was going to get to there.

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Kate was already naked and in his bed that was now their bed. She watched him walk into the room from the bathroom and was equally naked. She got an eyeful of him. All of him this time. She grinned. She'd had him in her mouth and she had tasted him. He had also tasted her.

When she looked up finally she saw Rick grinning. He'd caught her looking at him and she started to blush. She watched him slide into bed next to her. It was still too warm to worry about covering up. They even had the windows open to get some air.

Kate grinned even wider as they settled into each other. "Happy?" Rick asked as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Very happy," Kate replied and reached out to kiss him. "You're still willing to wait for me." She meant sex.

Rick knew just what she meant. "You're worth it. Just so long as we get to repeat what we did on the beach."

Kate's smile grew even wider. "Daily if you'd like." She snuggled in as close as she could get and closed her eyes. Today had been perfect.

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She was baking and was taking her homemade cherry pie out of the oven just as Josh came home and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"Something smells good." He was happy that she was a good cook. He had something for her. He pulled out the case that held it and presented it to her.

He watched as she opened it. "It's lovely. Thank you, Josh." It was a gold necklace that had a tiny heart on it. She even moved her hair aside so he could put it around her neck.

Next she was clearing off the dining room table after eating so she could clean up like she knew he would expect her to do. She also took the bottle.

His temper flared. "You think I'm done with that?"

"No, sorry, I was just cleaning up." She brought the bottle back and set it on the table.

However what he saw he didn't like. "I know that look." He waved a finger at her.

"I don't have any look." She didn't want a fight.

"What do you want from me?" Josh demanded.

"Nothing. I don't want anything," Kate answered while shaking her head.

That only pissed Josh off even more. He swept his arm across the table, sending everything in his reach crashing to the floor and breaking into pieces.

"How many times have you heard me say I'm sorry? You just won't let it rest." Kate was down on her knees picking up the mess like she knew he would want her to do.

Josh jumped up, grabbing her and slamming her into the tiny hutch that had glass doors which shattered as her body hit it. Then he threw her toward the living room where she fell.

"What do you want from me, bitch? I give you everything!" Josh yelled as he took a handful of her hair and yanked her up by it. Then he threw her into the dining room.

Kate was screaming in fear and from his treatment of her. She saw the kitchen knife she'd used to cut the pie with still on the table and snatched it up to defend herself. "I don't want anything."

"What do you offer me?" He easily grabbed her hand and twisted until she was forced to drop the knife. Then he shoved her to the floor where he wrapped his hand around her throat.

"I give you everything, Kate. Goddamn everything!" Josh screamed while Kate struggled under his choking hand. "Stop fighting me. Do you seriously think I'll ever let you walk away from this?"

Kate saw the knife lying on the floor and reached for it, wasting no time in plunging it into his side. That got his hand off her throat as he fell off of her. It was enough for her to escape. She jumped up and ran to their bedroom where she picked up some sweats, put them on, then changed her high heels for some sneakers.

Back downstairs she saw his personal weapon and wallet on the side table by the front door. She left his gun, took the wallet, and ran out the front door where she just kept running.

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Kate sat straight up in bed, screaming and shaking. Rick jerked awake, turned to her and wrapped his arms around her, trying to soothe her. "The dream again." She had told him about what Josh had done that night and that it still haunt ted her to this day.

Kate could only nod as she wept. She was desperately afraid of her husband.

"He's not going to find you. No one knows you're here." Granted the men that were bringing him a few odd things might suspect something but they hadn't seen anything and they had seen everything their last trip. Save for the light itself that is.

When she had calmed down a bit he pulled her down into his arms and let her rest on his chest. "Nothing's going to happen to you, Kate. I won't let it." He knew now that he loved her. He just needed to get the words out.

He also knew that he had two weapons on this island and while Kate might not be willing to use one of them, he was more than willing to use either one to protect her. He was also going to start to carry one of them around with him everywhere he went from now on.

Josh had no reason to come there but he couldn't take that chance. Rick knew what he looked like and would kill him the second he saw him. Kate was going to be free from him one way or another.


	11. Chapter 11

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 11_

They both got a hint that fall wasn't that far away when, still naked, they woke up in bed and felt the cold wind blowing in through the open window; it was blowing right across both of them. Kate found out fast that Rick was warm, however he was only warm on one side. He volunteered to get up and close the window. "We may have to fire up the heat soon." Not just yet but soon.

Rick got back into bed and felt Kate snuggle in close. "I've got you to keep me warm." She would use a blanket later but for now he was enough.

"Always," he assured her then kissed her thoroughly.

Kate practically purred. She liked the sound of that. But her fear crept back in. It was just that her husband probably had the divorce papers by now. She just knew he would come here. She desperately hoped Rick was right. That Josh had no reason to come to this island.

"While this is nice I think we both have work to do." He needed to check the light after having it run all night.

"I suppose." Kate wasn't in any hurry to leave his arms or the warmth of his body. It didn't stop her from kissing him before he rolled out of bed and got out his clothes for the day.

He left Kate laying there to watch him get dressed. She smiled wide at him.

"Shows over, time to get up lazy bones." Rick picked up his pillow and hit her with it then retreated for the door. Before he made it through the door he got thunked in the head with the same pillow. He turned to look and a naked Kate was just lying there grinning at him.

An hour later he was back inside the main house in search of Kate. "Follow me, I need your help this time," Rick said. He was quite serious now. He turned and walked out of the house.

He was heading for the lighthouse. Kate was more than willing to help, but did it have to be way up there? Nonetheless she followed him up each and every step.

"Now what?" What did he need her for. He handed her a long steel bar that was flat on one end.

"See this here?" Rick pointed right at it.

Kate looked and what she saw was a round wheel filled with spokes. Save for this one had a damaged spoke. "Yeah. What do you want me to do?"

"I'm going to pull this pin that holds it in place. Then you're going to use that bar to help me pull it out. After than I need you to help me carry it all the way down the stairs and into the maintenance building. It'll probably take me a few hours to fix it. Then I'll need your help to get it back up here and back into place. We don't fix it and the light won't revolve tonight," Rick explained.

Actually he feared that it had quit turning last night at some point. Thankfully nothing bad had happened. Rick got to work and told her when.

Kate grunted; getting it out wasn't as easy as it looked. It was still between the spokes of the other two wheels until she heard it fall and hit the concrete floor. Hearing something made of metal hit the concrete floor told her that getting this thing down wasn't going to be any fun.

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Hands on her knees, Kate bent over sucking in air. "You sure you can fix this thing?" she wheezed. Wouldn't it be better just to get a new one? Until she remembered they still didn't have any communication.

"That's what that torch over there is for. I just have to make a new spoke and weld it into place – perfectly – and then have you help me put it back into place before it gets dark." What was the point of having a lighthouse that didn't have a light? One that turned in place. Maybe some day in the future it would have a different system, but today, it had to revolve.

"Yell when you need me. Do you want something to drink?" Kate inquired before she made it out the door.

"Yes, please. Thanks." Rick began his search for some steel to make a spoke with.

Kate left his drink, kissed his cheek, and went back to her new sewing project. Rick was wearing the new shirt she'd made him. Now she was working on a new dress for herself.

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"Ready, now comes the hard part," Rick told her while she'd rested a minute after helping him carry it all the way up all those stairs. "Getting it out was the easy part."

"Oh, swell." It was already hard as far as she was concerned. She now had a new appreciation for the work Rick did.

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Kate was lying on her back on the concrete looking up at Rick who was still standing. "I hate you." Her arms were killing her.

Rick laughed. "You love me and you know it. Now up. You still have to make dinner or we'll starve."

"You need to feed yourself tonight," Kate groaned. Still she lifted up her aching arms for him to pull her up. It wasn't until she was standing that everything he had said hit her. She slipped her aching arms around his neck so she could kiss him. "I do love you." Kate finally got the words out and looked him in the eye.

"That's good, because I fell in love with you weeks ago." This time Rick kissed her and felt her kissing him back. Then he risked it. "Does this mean you're ready?" He meant sex not just oral sex.

Kate opened her mouth; she really did want to say yes. But a piece of her was still telling her not yet. Since she wanted to give him all of her and not just the part that was ready she shook her head. "I want to, truly I do. I just don't want to be _that _married woman." She was still in the same pickle she was earlier.

"It's okay, sweetheart. I told you once that you're worth waiting for and you still are." Rick kissed her again. When he broke from the kiss he asked, "Dinner? I'm starving!"

Kate suggested a change in plans. "You warm up the grill. I'll get the steaks ready and everything to go with them."

He smiled. "Sounds good." He gave her a quick kiss and they both went their respective ways to get dinner ready.

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She still feared Josh greatly. "Where do you think he is?" He had to have seen the divorce papers by now.

"In a hospital suffering from a heart attack," Rick snarked and Kate giggled. She knew he wouldn't do that but that didn't make it not funny.

"More likely right over there." Kate pointed to where Caribou Island was located.

"Standing in the middle of a vacant lot." Rick erupted in laughter and Kate laughed with him. "I can see it now. He's just standing there, twisting in place cursing up a storm. Then when he calms down enough he'll march over to the local police station and start asking questions. He'll show them his badge and demand answers. Except they don't know SHIT!" Rick was ready to start laughing yet again. The locals couldn't tell him one single thing.

Then he got serious. "If they stick to the schedule, the contractor should be here tomorrow to survey the site for the new antenna."

Kate knew what that meant. "I'll need to hide." She really wished she could stop hiding. She wanted her life back. The life she had before she married Josh.

She did have a question though. "Why are you wearing that thing?" She pointed at the revolver that Rick had been carrying around with him everywhere.

"This little thing?" He put his hand on it then pulled it out and spun it on one finger just to show off. "Just in case. I have no intention of underestimating him or what he's capable of doing. But if he sets one foot on this island I'm going to fill him full of lead. That or make him look like Swiss cheese." Rick was resolved. He may not have wanted to go to war and kill German soldiers, but he was going to defend the woman he loved.

"Against a trained cop who knows how to shoot?" She shook her head. Rick didn't stand a chance. "You've been watching too many Hollywood cowboy movies." Walking down the street while the good guy waited for the bad guy to make the first move. That was stupid. Josh would just shoot him in the back and call it self defense. Since he was a cop he would get away with it.

Rick started shaking _his_ head. "He'll never make it off the boat and he won't even see me." He was sure he was going to kill him in cold blood and not give him a chance to even say one word. If he got the opportunity that is.

"Just be careful, Rick. He's well-trained." Kate made up her mind to kill herself if Josh killed Rick and took her back home. She wasn't going to be his slave any longer. She either got to stay with Rick or she would move on to her next life.

"Nothing's going to happen to you. I'm not going to let it." Rick leaned across and kissed her.

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Josh couldn't believe what it took for him to get there. He took a flight to a larger city then took a small two prop plane to a much smaller landing strip. He wasn't even willing to call it an airport since the landing strip was mostly rock and dirt. From there he was in a single engine plane that landed on the island in the middle of Lake Superior.

He could've taken a boat but that would have taken hours. Besides he was prone to sea sickness. The only part to the trip that'd had him worried was the tiny single engine plane trip. So he'd drunk from his thermos a little more often. By the time he got to the island he had a good buzz going.

Next he found out that they didn't have taxis. They also didn't rent cars. He cursed them all as he started walking. They didn't even have a map to get him to where he wanted to go.

He put out his thumb to hitch a ride from any car or truck that went past him. None of them even slowed down let alone stopped to give him a lift. Worse he didn't have his badge any longer to force them to pull over and give him a ride, if not even actually take their car.

Another problem with this trip was the only weapon he had was the little .38 that was strapped to his ankle. And this trip had not been inexpensive. Some of it was via a real airline that required him to purchase a ticket. He only had to hire the guy with the single engine plane. He was also going to be forced to stay there for two weeks if he wanted to go back by plane since the pilot who got him there was going to stay for two weeks before going back.

What little he knew about this place was that there was only one hotel. He'd called and had made a reservation for a two week stay. Long enough for him to fly back with the same guy. WITH Kate when he found her.

He had to stop twice to ask directions for the hotel. It wasn't so much _turn at this street_ as it was _turn just past this or that and then go straight until you see it_. The entire trip only pissed him off even more and he was going to take it out on Kate when he caught up to her.

He had to pay up front which used up a lot of his cash. The hotel was $15 dollars a night which included breakfast and free parking, not that he had a car. He was given a key and told where his room was located.

While he was hungry after dropping off his lone bag in his room he went back to the reception area. "Where is this address?" He showed him the address on a piece of paper. The desk clerk had to think about it since he couldn't remember there being anything there to orient himself with. Still he told him where to go.

Josh hurried out the door. He had his weapon on him, his wallet with all his cash and everything else that was in it. He also had his handcuffs since his boss hadn't asked for those when he was put on leave. He planned to keep Kate cuffed to his bed until it was time to leave so he might as well start now.

He walked down the street and kind of liked where he was. But not so much the houses since they looked really old and ready to fall down. He could tell their backyard was Lake Superior. If Kate had plans to live here he could see it. Although she was going back and that was the end of it.

He finally came to a house that actually still had a number that told him he was close. A few more houses and suddenly he was past the number. He looked across the street for the number just to make sure. It should have been on this side but he hadn't seen it.

He had walked it three times now and was now standing in front of a vacant lot. "That little bitch!" Oh, he was going to give it to her that was for sure. Still he needed answers so he went across the street and knocked in their door.

A man and a woman who each easily weighed 300 pounds came to the door. "Do you know anything about this address?" Josh showed them his piece of paper.

"That's the vacant lot across the street. You planning on buying it and building something?" He was interested in a possible new neighbor. His wife, though, was only thinking about all the noise and disruption that was going to take place.

Josh instead pulled out a picture of his wife. "Have you seen her?" He watched both of them shake their heads. "Look really close. You're sure you haven't seen her?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. If we're done here?" He backed up and shut the door in his face.

That only pissed Josh off even more. His next move would have been to go find the local police, show them his badge, and demand their help in finding his wanted for murder suspect since her picture was still out there. Except he didn't have a badge any more.

Still he had two weeks to find her before his hotel stay was up and he had to leave.

"I gave her everything and this is how she treats me." He was fuming mad and went to drink from his ever present thermos. But it was empty. Now he needed to find a liquor store.

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Kate was standing next to Rick as they watched as the light came on and worked like it was supposed to. "Thanks for the help." Rick was happy and he turned to kiss Kate's cheek.

She laughed a little. "If I want my exercise all I have to do is go up and down those stairs."

"I'll go make you a cog to carry up and down with you," Rick teased which earned him a swat to his arm. All it did was get him to laugh. "You're not fooling me, you loved every minute of it."

Kate had to admit that she did like being helpful. If she hadn't been there Rick might not have managed it by himself or he might have hurt himself trying.

She pretended to yawn. "I'm tired and going to bed. Are you coming?" Kate looked at him.

"I'm going to go check the maintenance building and the main generator first. I'll catch up to you in about an hour. Wait up for me." Rick gave her a quick kiss and headed toward the maintenance building.

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Kate was naked, lying in their bed and stroking herself to get herself nice and wet. She was still stroking her lips when Rick walked in. "You started without me." He wasn't a fan of that.

"Clean up, strip, and put your head right here." Kate gave her nether lips a nice long stroke to emphasize where she wanted his head and his tongue in particular.

She was still stroking her lips and was practically on fire when Rick finally came back from the bathroom naked. She got to watch as he crawled onto the end of the bed and work at placing his head between her spread legs. She moaned loudly when she felt the first touch of his tongue.

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Josh was equally naked but he was alone in bed and was presently pounding his pillow that was a piece of junk. Instead of finding Kate and having her handcuffed to the bed at his feet, he was alone in a dark room in a wretched hotel on a small island in Lake Superior.

He sat up and put all of the pillows behind his head then got up to turn on the black and white TV. The channel selections were extremely limited and presently it was all news from around the United States.

He was drinking straight from the bottle this time as he watched the news. He even watched something about the anniversary of a freighter losing power, crashing into the local reefs and sinking. Since the crew had abandoned ship no lives were lost. However, the broken ship was still at the bottom of the lake where it was going to remain. Still filled with all of the grain it had been carrying.


	12. Chapter 12

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 12_

_**If guests don't like what they read, then they should stop reading! Or **_**_criticize over what they are reading for free. Most of us simply do this for fun._**

_Two weeks later_

Kate stopped and thought about what she was doing. She'd been humming while she sewed. She could only reach one conclusion and that was that she was happy. Thanks to Josh she couldn't remember when she'd been this happy.

Even though it was raining and raining pretty hard that didn't dampen her spirits any. She was all set to get back to work when she began to wonder just what Rick was doing. Hopefully he wasn't out in all this rain getting soaked to the bone. Or worse, catching a cold.

She was concerned enough that she abandoned her work and started to search the house, looking for him. When she didn't find him she could only conclude that he was in one of two places: the maintenance building or the tower itself.

It was a bit of a distance between there and here and unlike Rick she didn't have any rain clothes. If she ran across to join him she would end up soaked. So she stood there, just watching it rain and looking to see if she could see him.

The contractor had come and gone last week and she'd remained hidden in her room while he was there. She was really starting to not like hiding every time anyone came to the island. But until she was free of Josh, if she ever actually would be, she needed to remain hidden.

They were both betting that Josh had had more than enough time to reach Caribou Island in his quest to find her. She really hated the idea that he was actually that close. He was just one little boat ride away and that kept her nerves on edge.

She also remembered what Rick had told her, that he wouldn't hesitate to shoot him the second he set foot on this island. He'd said it with such intense fury. She didn't like to think that he could be a killer. She preferred to think that he was simply trying to show her that he would protect her. Not that he would actually kill Josh or anyone else in cold blood like that.

She was still watching when she saw him running in her direction. The lone door to the maintenance building faced the water and not the main house so she didn't see him come out of the building and close the door. She stepped back a little so he could enter the mudroom and close the door behind him.

The second the door opened Kate felt the wind that came with the rain force its way inside. Then she felt a little of the rain as Rick shook his rain gear to get it just a little less wet.

"I may need a boat soon just to get back and forth." It was just a silly joke and Kate knew it. Still it had her smiling.

"Maybe you can become part duck and swim it," Kate returned.

"Half man, half duck. Maybe half man and half tiger. Thanks, babe, you just gave me an idea for a new story." He had long since finished his last one and needed a good idea for the next one. Kate might have just given him one.

"Maybe they're the last of their kind and they're lost in space onboard their spaceship. Or better yet they're trapped on a strange planet after crashing there and need to battle the native wildlife while making a home for themselves. …But how do they keep their race alive with so few of them?" Rick shot that last idea down. It just wouldn't work.

"I'm happy to help." Kate risked it and leaned across to kiss him quickly while trying not to get wet. "Come on, let's get you dry." Kate opened the door to the rest of the house, held it open for him, then followed him up to their bedroom.

She sat on their bed and waited for him to change. "When does the new antenna go up again?

"About two weeks from now. Assuming that his boats can hold it all and if the weather can stay calm long enough for him to make it here. It all depends on the weather. If the seas are too rough he can't land here," Rick answered as he stripped off what he was wearing and let it fall to the floor.

Kate watched with a grin on her face as he dug through his drawers for something dry to wear. "You know, you could just go naked the rest of the day. I wouldn't mind." Her grin grew bigger until it threatened to break her face.

Rick turned to face her which allowed Kate to look him over. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" He was learning that since they had started having oral sex they both couldn't get enough of the other. He was still waiting for Kate to be ready for intercourse. He really did want her but he wasn't going to force the issue.

He watched as she raised her hand and used her forefinger to beckon him closer. He moved closer as she reached out to take him in her hand and then bent down to take him in her mouth. It had him moaning almost instantly and he was hard in no time.

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"How's it coming?" Rick checked on how she was doing on her new dress.

"I'm getting there." Kate paused while using her sewing machine. "How's your new shirt?" She turned to look at him in his new shirt.

He twisted and flexed his muscles. "It's a little too tight. I need to do a lot of bending and carrying heavy stuff in this job so maybe a little more room next time." Other than that he liked it which was why he was wearing it.

"Sorry." She had measured him and used those measurements to make the shirt with. She hadn't taken him needing to move a lot into her design. "I'll do better next time. What's your plan for today?"

"I need to get the ladder out and inspect all of the windows. I want to make sure we're not leaking somewhere. That and make sure none of them have a crack. I should be done by lunch and then I'm all yours until the sun goes down." Rick bent down to kiss her.

"All mine," Kate whispered after she heard the front door close. All this kissing and oral sex was really getting to her. What she really wanted to do finally was have sex. She really wanted to feel what he felt like inside her. She couldn't ask both of them to wait an entire year. It wasn't fair to Rick.

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Rick used only a little bit of sealant along the windows and none of the panes had any cracks in them. So far they were holding up well. He put the ladder back in its place and headed for the house, thinking while he walked. He couldn't recall anything else that needed maintenance at the moment. He would check all of the oil lines tomorrow. The contractor should be showing up soon to install the antenna so he could talk to people again.

He poked his head into the kitchen and didn't see her. A quick look in the dining room showed that she wasn't there either. In any case he headed for the bedroom to strip before taking a shower. It wasn't that he was all that grungy, he just wanted to smell clean…for her.

Kate heard him come in then leave the bedroom. She heard the water turn on so she left her old bedroom and went to their bedroom where she stripped and put on one of his shirts, making sure only one button was buttoned. She didn't have anything she considered sexy so one of his big shirts was going to have to do.

She heard the water shut off so she stood at the end of the bed and waited for him.

Rick walked in naked and she couldn't help for her eyes to go straight to him. He was a healthy guy and she'd learned firsthand just how big he could get.

"Hi baby, you ready for me?" Kate shifted a little so that a leg was exposed and if he looked he could see into her shirt and see one of her breasts. She fought a grin when she saw him actually move a little. She raised her hand and used a finger to motion him over. "Come over here, big boy."

Rick had never seen her look so sexy before. His member didn't fail to notice either. He walked up to her and felt her wrap her arms around his neck. "Kate?" Was she offering what he thought, what he hoped she was?

Kate moved one of her hands from around his neck and reached down to take his now partially erect member in her hand. "I'm done waiting, baby, make love to me." She moved her other hand, pulled one of Rick's condoms out of the upper pocket of her shirt, and showed it to him. "You do know how to use one of these," she teased. She squealed loudly when suddenly she was in his arms and was being carefully placed on the bed. However, instead of crawling up her body to take her, he placed his head between her legs.

She had asked Rick to make love to her so that was exactly what he was going to do.

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Kate had never felt like this in her life. She was naked and lying all over Rick after they'd made love. He hadn't simply taken her like she was willing to let him do. Instead he'd actually made love to her. His head between her legs had produced one orgasm then he'd taken the condom and ever so slowly pressed himself deep inside her.

She had begged him to go faster. To take her harder. She had indeed learned that he could stretch her to her comfort limit. There was no mistake in her mind that she loved him deeply now.

"You okay?" Rick was awake and had felt Kate move a little.

Kate smiled wide. "I'm perfect." She reached down to take him in her hand again and started working to make him hard again.

"Kate?" If she didn't stop they were going to do that again.

His answer was her removing her hand and rolling away to search for a new condom. Then she was back and worked at putting the condom in place. She got on top. "I want you."

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Kate was humming and even whistling a little while moving her hips while she was cooking breakfast. They were going to need to recover some of the energy they had used up last night.

They had only just finished round two when Rick had scrambled out of bed, telling her that he needed to turn the light on and check for signs of fog.

She hadn't liked him suddenly leaving their bed after making love but he'd been right. It was his job. She was still cooking with suddenly there was this loud noise. A few seconds later it sounded again followed by another. It had sounded a number of time when she heard Rick come into the house and then into the kitchen.

"Is that the fog horn?" She hadn't heard it since she had been here.

"Yeah, there's fog rolling in and it'll probably last until the sun can burn it off. You'll get used to the noise." Rick moved in behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "How do you feel?"

Kate had delayed them making love because she was still married and she still was, so he wanted to make sure she was happy with her choice last night.

"I've never felt better." Kate turned just enough to kiss him. "I'm sorry I made us wait." Though now they could make up for lost time. "Maybe more sex later?" She was a little sore since it had been a while and Rick was bigger than Josh was. He was also far more skilled than Josh ever was. Josh was a fucker while Rick was a lover.

Rick arched an eyebrow and grinned. "You think you'll have recovered by then?"

"You just wait, baby, you just wait and see." She was thinking they wouldn't even wait until tonight depending on what Rick's plans for the day were. He might have to work all day.

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Josh had extended his stay another week and had walked the entire island. It felt like he had talked to everyone on the entire stinking place. They had two whole cops for the entire place along with one lady that did all the paperwork and worked the radio.

They had no need for a homicide detective, they didn't have any murders here. Even their supposed thefts were mostly misunderstandings. They didn't need him here and they didn't have the money to hire him anyway.

The extra week meant he had to dig into his bank account a little more. At the moment he was busy throwing all of his dirty laundry into his bag. This trip had been a complete waste of his time.

He handed in his key and started walking to the tiny dirt airstrip where his pilot should be waiting for him. It also took him past the main dock area where he saw a series of new ships all lined up. Since they were new he went down to them.

"Have you seen this woman?" He held up her **W****anted for ****M****urder** picture. He didn't have his badge but this picture alone should get everyone to think that he was a cop since technically he still was. He just couldn't prove it.

"Sorry, never seen her," was what Josh got back.

"Where are you going with all this?" They had mostly metal towers and some other stuff.

"Lighthouse. It lost its radio antenna during a storm a while back. We won the job to replace it. Should be simple and straight forward." He didn't anticipate any trouble.

"There's another island?" He hadn't yet heard anything about there being another island until now. Granted he hadn't asked about there being another island, but someone could have said something. "How big is it?" Maybe he should delay his trip and look it over.

"Barely big enough to put the house on it, a maintenance shed, and a couple of small storage sheds. Those and the lighthouse. The trick in getting there is if the weather doesn't cooperate you can't land there," the man explained.

"You didn't see anyone there?" He needed to make sure.

"Just the Coast Guard guy who is the lighthouse keeper. It's his job to keep the lighthouse working. Nice enough guy." He looked at him suspiciously. "Why all the questions? Who are you?" He was wary since he'd already answered his main question.

"Thanks." Josh walked away since he couldn't prove that he was a cop. He hated leaving an island that he hadn't searched. But it sounded like it was just the one guy. Coast Guard said military and he was likely armed. Josh was good at making women do what he wanted, not so much men. Especially armed military men. Not to mention he had a plane to catch or he might be sleeping on the beach. It also meant he needed a new plan. There might be a tiny island that held a lighthouse, but he really didn't have the money to hire someone to get him there.

Josh watched out his window as they left. He finally saw the island that had the lighthouse. He saw just the four buildings and the lighthouse itself. One was clearly bigger while he barely saw the two storage sheds. He didn't see anyone, but if there was only the lighthouse keeper that wasn't surprising.

He twisted his head as far back as he could as they gained height for the trip to the mainland. As he did he saw someone come out of the big house and run to the other building. But the person had really short. At this height and angle it didn't look like his wife. Besides it was just the one person. So he dismissed it since he had little choice now.

He turned his head to watch where they were going and missed seeing a second person come running out of the house and chase down the first person. When that person caught up to the first one he wrapped his arms around them and kissed whoever it was.

The trip had been a bust and it had cost him money. Now he was more angry than he had been before he came here, chasing down his only lead that he had. If it wasn't for the buzz from all the drinking he might consider opening the door, jumping out, and ending it all.

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Kate was back up in the lighthouse and peeking her head just far enough to look down. She watched as the contractor and Rick worked at getting everything off of a pair of small boats.

They wasted no time in erecting the antenna. Kate had seen the bent and broken one but watching this one go up gave her an appreciation for just how tall it really was.

At first it had a tendency to sort of whip around until they secured all of the tie down wires. Then they kept messing with those wires over and over again. Kate wasn't really sure how long it took them but they were soon shaking Rick's hand and got back into their boats and left. Then Rick went inside the building and didn't come back out.

She was supposed to stay hidden until Rick came and got her but he was taking his sweet time about it.

Kate had just about given up waiting for him when she saw him come out and walk to the lighthouse. That got her up and going down the stairs so she could meet him halfway.

"Does it work?" That was all she wanted to know.

"It works like a charm, we're back in business. They also brought the mail." Rick showed her the long envelope that had come. He sat down on the steps and Kate joined him.

Rick ripped it open and began reading. "It's from one of my friends that checked on Josh. He apparently flew out of town." Rick looked at when it was dated. "About three weeks ago. His opinion is that he's headed this way."

"We already knew that, didn't we?" Kate could swear they'd already talked about this.

"There's one more page." Rick pulled out a different sheet and held it up to look at it. It was a picture of Kate with long brown hair and at the bottom was **Wanted for Murder**_._

Kate snatched it out of his hand. "MURDER! I'm no murderer." Rick had to believe her.

Rick knew exactly who was behind this. "Damn Josh."

"I can't believe this. He's made me a murderer. I don't dare show my face even a year from now." Kate couldn't believe that things could possibly get this bad.

"Let's see what my friend says about it." Rick went back to reading. "He says this was sent out to a number of places. Mostly big cities." Rick shook his head. This Josh was a real case alright. "There's more." Rick read to himself. "HE'S BEEN SUSPENDED! My friend talks about him being suspended from his job. He doesn't know why or exactly what it means but he no longer has his badge, access to police documents, or anything a police officer could do." Rick took that to be good news.

"Suspended. …Does that mean he can't use the police to help him find me?" she asked worriedly. It was one of the things that preyed on her mind the most. He was a cop and he could get any number of other cops across Canada to help him.

"He's not a cop any longer. At least until he's reinstated. _I__f_ he's reinstated." Rick thought that was what it meant. "I think you're safe for the moment. Even if he's on Caribou Island he isn't on this island and neither of us have reason to go there. You still haven't been seen by anyone. I think we're safe for now." He put his arm around her shoulders.

Kate leaned into him. "One year for the divorce to be finalized." She still wasn't totally safe but it was looking better.


	13. Chapter 13

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 13_

_Six months later_

"What's going to happen?" Kate was resting against Rick after their third round of sex this morning. After she made sure that the blankets were all in place. When it got cold here, it got cold and it had been cold for a couple of months now. Rick was allowed days off based on need. It was up to him to decide if he was needed; he'd worked hard the previous week to guarantee that today was going to be his day off for the week.

They hadn't really talked all that much about when his tour as lighthouse keeper would come to an end. However, now seemed like as good a time as any to do just that.

"They'll send over the new lighthouse keeper and I'll spend the day going over everything with him. What repairs I've had to make and what pieces of equipment have been giving me trouble. I'll already be packed and have my bags waiting. He moves in and I move out.

"What we need is to create a believable story as to why you're on the island and how long you've been here. This is where you're going to have to use your real name. They're going to want to identify you and decide what they're going to do with you." This was when Rick wasn't sure just how much control he was going to have over where Kate was allowed to go.

Her voice quavered and she shook. "They'll send me back to Josh." It was her biggest fear. She ran away only to have the province send her back to him.

"That's one possibility that we need to be prepared for. Another is that they will simply release you and let you go where you please. Just keep your divorce paperwork with you at all times. It shows your present address." Even if it was an empty lot. "One thing in our favor is that access on and off the island is limited. They'll be expecting me so you can simply argue to let them allow you to leave the island when I leave." Rick was thinking that was the most likely scenario.

"Then what? Go home with you?" She wasn't going back to Josh, that was for damn sure.

"Actually, yes. You'll get to meet my mother and spend some time where I grew up. Depending on just where Mother is at that time. If she doesn't have a play in New York she'll be home. If she does she won't be there and it'll just be you and me. Just don't expect too much. It isn't even as big as the maintenance building here." It didn't have to be large given that his mother was almost never there if she had a job.

"You'll be there. It'll be enough." Kate snuggled in a little closer.

"Just keep telling yourself that when you see it." Rick was pretty sure he was going to have to do some work on the place once they reached it.

Kate didn't for a second believe it could be anywhere near as bad as Rick was painting it to be. Not that it mattered to her.

"So tell me about Esquimalt." Rick had told her where his home was but not all that much about the town itself. She didn't even really know where it was in Canada.

"It's a great little town, especially if you like military towns. There's a large naval base located there so military personnel are everywhere. So are bars and everything that would make the sailors happy.

"You'll love Victoria. It's the biggest city in the area and it's beautiful. Unlike a lot of Canada it doesn't get all that much snow. The kids I grew up with would sneak out and make it to Victoria and get into so much trouble." Rick smiled at some of the memories.

"Little Ricky getting into trouble. Hard to believe," Kate teased.

"Well I wasn't always this handsome guy that always tried to do the right thing. I desperately wanted to fit in and I did a few things that made my mother age prematurely," Rick admitted while Kate laughed out loud.

"OW!" Rick had pinched her for her laughter at his expense.

"And little Katie Beckett didn't ever get into trouble." Rick was sure she wasn't as saintly as she portrayed herself.

Kate lied through her teeth. "I was a perfect little angel." Rick poked her in the ribs with his finger. She grabbed that same finger and held onto it. "I may have done a few things." She was willing to admit that much.

"It's a pity you were on the other side of the country." Rick really wished he had met her years ago. Both of their lives might be so very different.

"I'm not sure I would've dated you if we had met earlier. Not all of the guys I dated in my late teens were some of my better dates. I think I did some of it just to piss off my parents." Kate's mood suddenly soured. "Then Mom was killed and I wished I could've taken all of that back. Not much later was when I met Josh. He was far more stable than my other boyfriends and I wanted to make it easy on my dad. We both took her loss really hard." The rest was history.

"You're thinking that the military will select you and send you to Europe." Kate shuddered. She really didn't want to think about that. The war was still raging over there. Granted what they'd been learning about it over the radio showed that they were winning, but it wasn't over yet.

"Probably, yeah. I got this job as an alternative to being drafted. Young men were needed everywhere. I'm beginning to think that my best bet to get some control over where they send me and how dangerous that might be is to sign on with the branch of the military I want to serve with. Spend two to three years in the Navy then get back out when the war finally ends. From what we've heard most of the fighting is on the land and in the air. The Navy's just doing escort work." If he didn't sign on with the Navy they would draft him and send him where they wanted him. After training that might be straight up to the front lines.

"What about me?" She wasn't going back to Josh, though she could go home to her dad. It was just that it could be a place where Josh would look for her. "If he was on Caribou Island he will have found my vacant lot that I'm living at. Dad will be next on his list." Kate wasn't sure staying with her dad was such a good idea. Besides she wanted to be close to Rick during his training.

"He would have talked to your dad weeks if not months ago and found that you weren't there. Besides, you do need to go see him. As far as he knows you might be dead depending on what Josh told him." Rick really did want her to go see her dad. He was her family.

That had Kate sitting up on her knees which allowed all the cold air to get in to both of them. "OH, GOD! I hadn't thought about that. Do you really think he would have told my dad that I was dead?" She couldn't begin to understand the pain her dad might already be in because of Josh.

"Which is why you're going to go at least see him and stay there for a while. You can't stay on the base where I'll be training. Or on the ship when I'm deployed. And I need an address to send you letters," Rick said. Then he pulled her back down to him and adjusted the blankets to get warm again.

"You better. Every day of every week, in fact." She had spent all these months next to him, she was sure she was going to have withdrawal issues and miss him something fierce when they both left this island.

"If I'm at sea that won't be possible." Rick didn't want her to get her hopes up of hearing from him a whole lot.

"Then I better get a lot of letters when they do show up. Weeks' worth based on how long it's been." She would remove his ass when she got her hands on him again if he didn't.

"I'll see what I can do." Rick smiled and gave her a quick kiss. "So are we agreed? I go home and you go see your dad first. I'll sign on with the Navy and tell you where I'll be going. We can decide from there. You can come to me after your dad tires of you." Rick chuckled since he was sure her dad would never get tired of having her with him.

Kate's only problem was Josh. He was in the wind and they didn't know where he was or how big of a threat he was. She sighed. "I guess I don't have much choice." She didn't have any money and was going to have to live off of her dad or do what she could do to help support them. To keep Rick out of Europe and ending up dead he needed to join the Navy.

"I'm going to find a way to come see you during your training so just accept it." Kate was serious. They were already talking about being apart for months at a time and she was completely addicted to having access to Rick on a daily basis. And going without sex for months was really going to test her willpower.

"Two maybe three years." Kate moaned about his plan.

"It's that or possibly longer and spend it in Europe on the ground," Rick said. Joining the Navy sounded like the best possible way out of a bad situation. "Plus they won't call me a Zombie back home." Rick adds which had Kate laughing. They both knew that if you didn't volunteer you ran the risk of being called a zombie in a derogatory term.

"They better kill Hitler for this," Kate grumbled. He was the asshole that started all this. Rick chuckled. He couldn't agree more.

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Josh was clutching two pieces of paper. Both were now in terrible shape though he could still read what was on both of them. One was the divorce paper that his wife had sent him. It was the paper that had gotten him out to Caribou Island to hunt her down. It had cost him a lot to make that trip and stay there for three weeks. In the end he hadn't found her.

Part of him questioned why he hadn't actually gone over to the island that had the lighthouse on it. Granted finding a boat that would take him there had been his first problem that never got solved. Still everyone he talked to told him that guy lived over there all alone.

His next trip that had also cost him money was flying to where his wife's father lived. Visiting him had been tense since her father wasn't one of his fans. The fact that her father was a lawyer had him finding out why Josh was there all too easily.

"Katie ran away from you, didn't she?" Jim had gotten right in his face and then threw him out. Not bodily, of course. Josh was physically too much for him but he had slammed the door shut behind him.

Still he had stayed in the area for two days searching all of the places he could remember Kate ever talking about. He came up empty and returned home.

The other piece of paper hurt just as much as the other one. Being on leave without pay had hurt his bank account. This paper was going to make sure his bank account wasn't going to recover any time soon. His review had resulted in him being fired from his job. This was his announcement that they had decided that his actions were grounds for his firing and this was how they were informing him. Without that job and permission to use all the police had access to his chances of finding Kate were dwindling fast.

He raised his bottle and drank from it. He still hadn't done any of the dishes. The kitchen was a complete disaster area. He knew how to do some basic cooking. He just couldn't create meals like Kate could do. He had to eat out all the time now since everything was dirty.

A third of his bottle was empty when there was someone at his door. He initially ignored whoever it was, however the person was being persistent and the noise of his doorbell was pissing him off so he got up and took his weapon with him. But he kept it behind his back.

"Mr. Davidson, Joshua Davidson?" a man with a uniformed officer standing behind him inquired. What they both saw was a man who hadn't shaved in a few days and likely hadn't bathed in the same amount of time. Nor likely changed clothes.

"Yeah." His voice sounded slurred even to him.

"You've been served." He shoved an envelope filled with papers at his chest. "You have three months. We'll be back at that time." The man and his armed officer turned and left.

Josh closed the door, went back inside, and sat down at the dining room table. He tossed the envelope on the table and went back to drinking.

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Two weeks later Josh finally saw the envelope again and decided to open it. He ripped it open and started reading.

The first word on the papers slapped him directly in the face. **EVICTION**

He hadn't paid the mortgage on the house in months because he'd mostly spent all he had in his search for Kate. That and alcohol and eating out when he remembered to eat. He still had money but he wasn't paying any of his bills. He also wasn't checking his mail or picking up the now large pile of newspapers that were still being delivered.

If he had he would see all of the past due bills for water, electricity, garbage, gas, car payment, and car insurance. Not to mention the mortgage payment and homeowner's insurance.

In three months he was going to be on the street.

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Kate had to decide what she was going to wear today. They had agreed on a story. The small amount that Rick was going to be able to talk about and the longer more involved version that only Kate would know.

It was then that it dawned on Kate that she really didn't have all that much. In fact most of it wasn't hers or even Rick's, for that matter. Like her sewing machine. Rick didn't know who had left it behind or even when, but it had saved her sanity since it gave her something to do during the day.

She had arrived on the island with very little and was going to be leaving with the same amount. No identification, only the money that Rick had given her so she could get home, as well as Rick's address and phone number. Well, his mother's technically. She had given him everything about her dad in return.

Right now they were standing there watching the boat dock. Three men were getting out. One was likely the new lighthouse keeper.

Rick walked the new lighthouse keeper through everything, took him everywhere, and told him all he knew. He also showed him the log in the maintenance building that showed the timing of everything he did. It told him when light bulbs had been replaced, when the oil tanks had last been filled, and even how long each of the generators had been running.

Meanwhile Kate was left to talk to the other two men. She told them her story about how she had ended up there just a few days ago and how nice Rick had been to her during that time.

Three hours later and Kate and Rick were saying goodbye to their home and boating across to the larger island. Even from a distance Kate could tell that this was an island. She could even see housing right up to the shore line.

It was there that Rick helped her to get a new identification card that had her real name on it that also had her old address.

Then for shits and giggles they walked to her vacant lot to look it over. The lot that was the address on her divorce papers. "Is this really going to work? I've never actually lived here. No one lives here." Kate waved at all the emptiness. "I don't even own it." Since there was a For Sale sign on it it looked like no one owned it.

"We've got two days to talk about it. Let's go find a room. Hopefully the hotel has a room available. Just for a couple of days." That had Kate taking hold of his arm. A hotel room meant a bed that was going to get put to use for more than just sleeping.

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It took a nice long boat ride to get off the island and then they had to take a bus to reach the closest train station. Rick bought her a ticket home.

Kate was presently wrapped around him and didn't really want to let go. Rick had been her rock. He'd kept her sane while her husband hunted her down. "Time to go, love." She needed to get off her platform and onto the train. Except she wasn't moving. "Kate?"

Kate felt tears spill down her face. She was going one way and he was going another and she didn't like that.

Rick caressed her cheek. "Your dad's going to be very happy to see you. I promise that if I can I'll come see you before I'm sent to training camp. Wherever that is." He was betting it was nowhere near where he lived. He might even end up near Kate for all he knew.

Usually it was the woman kissing her guy goodbye before being shipped off to the war. Now it was Rick kissing his girl goodbye.

He didn't see her again after she boarded the train. Still he waited until the train actually left the station just to make sure that she didn't jump off. He knew she was worried about Josh but he was betting the jackass still had no idea just where she was. He had probably already gone to see her dad and hadn't found her there so why should he go back?

With a heavy sigh he started walking to the platform for his train to Victoria. He would figure out how to get home after he got that far. First, though, he needed to find a naval enlistment center. Find out just when he had to report and where to report for his training. Victoria was likely the best place for that.

It was time for a new and different life.


	14. Chapter 14

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 14_

Kate wasn't sure what her dad would think of her just suddenly showing up, however, she was sure he would be happy to see her. How could he not, she was his daughter and he loved her.

She used to live there but had long since lost her key when she had run away from Josh so she had to knock. When no one came to the door she knocked again. Followed by waiting and knocking yet again. "Not home." It was just her luck. There were places she could go to and sit down and wait for a while. She just couldn't think of one that would allow her to watch the front door of the building he was in.

She was all set to leave when she decided to check and see if it was locked. Surprisingly it wasn't. She found that odd but opened the door slowly anyway and took a look inside. Everything looked mostly normal if not a little messy. Still she could overlook that since her dad wasn't the cleaner of the family. Kate stepped inside and closed and locked the door behind her.

"Dad? It's me," Kate called out softly since she was timid about the greeting she was going to get and possibly something was wrong. "Dad?" She tried, a little louder this time.

The living room looked normal if not a bit dirty. Moving through the opening and into the kitchen revealed something that had her heart falling into the pit of her stomach. The kitchen sink was filled with empty alcohol bottles. All of them were empty. "Oh, Dad… Not again." Kate knew her dad had taken to the bottle after her mother had been killed. It had taken only a little work to get him off the wagon the last time. They'd been warned what might happen if he ever went back to drinking.

"DAD!?" Now she was scared. She hurried to his bedroom and went inside since the door was open. A quick tour of the room told her that he wasn't in this room if he was indeed here. If he was drunk when he left, possibly to go buy another bottle, he may have simply forgotten to lock the door behind him.

A look into his bathroom showed that it was also empty and needed a bit of cleaning. The toilet and tub needed to be scrubbed. The sink was in a little better shape.

She only had two more rooms to check and since the bathroom in the hallway was the closest she stopped there next. Like the other bathroom it was empty even though it appeared to be a little cleaner than the other bathroom.

That just left her old room. Looking inside she saw him lying face down on her bed. "DAD!" Kate rushed to him and then dashed around the bed so she could see him. As she did she kicked something that went flying and hit one of her nightstands, the wall, then started to roll under her bed. "SHIT!" It was an empty vodka bottle.

"DAD!" Kate got on her bed to check him out. She placed a hand on his forehead and found that it was warm and slightly sweaty. "Dad?" She tried shaking him a little and got nothing for her trouble. If he'd been drinking for a while he was in trouble. She ran to the phone mounted to the wall.

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A nurse had been kind enough to give Kate a few tissues as she sat in the waiting room of the hospital that the ambulance had taken him to. She knew almost nothing and that was what worried her the most.

Every time she saw a nurse or anyone else she would look up in hopes that it would be information on her dad. Then after what felt like hours a nurse came her way. Kate was actually expecting the worst. He was dead and she only had bad news.

"Miss Beckett?" She needed to be sure she was taking to the right person. Kate could only nod since everything was trapped in her throat. "Is there someone you can call?"

"Call?" Her mind wasn't catching up very quickly. Finally it came up with a person. "Rick." She could call Rick. Then she remembered that she was closer and had left first. Rick wasn't going to be home for hours and even then he was going to be practically on the other end of the country. "No, he's not home yet. He lives in Victoria." Technically that was wrong but it was close enough.

"The doctor should be out soon to talk to you. You might want to call him when you can anyway. Maybe leave a message." She meant leave a message with either his roommate or his parents. "Ask the nurse to use the white phone."

Kate could only nod once again as she waited to find out what had gone wrong.

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Kate was so full of worry it was all she could do to keep the contents of her stomach right where they belonged, in her stomach. Then a man dressed in white walked out. "Miss Beckett?" He had an idea who it would be but there was more than one person in the waiting room. "If you'll follow me please." He wanted somewhere more private so they could talk and not tell everyone in the waiting room what didn't concern them.

"How is he? Can I see him?" Kate really need to be able to talk to him. She needed to understand just what had gone so horribly wrong. Then she saw him in a bed and he had wires hooked up to him along with fluid from an upside down bottle dripping into his vein.

"Dad." Kate went right to him though she didn't dare touch him. He was sleeping and maybe that was a good thing. She looked him over from head to toe even if the covers covered everything from his chest down. He looked more frail than she had seen him lately.

She finally turned her attention to the doctor. "Mr. Beckett's blood test showed significant amounts of alcohol. Not enough to kill him but it was enough to cause alcohol poisoning. We're doing all we can to counter that and he should recover in a few days. But there's one more thing that we are concerned about.

"His blood tests came back with elevated counts. We took an x-ray though that didn't tell us much. The test also shows that his blood isn't clotting properly. A simple cut will mean he will bleed more than other people. However, a deeper cut could end up life-threatening." He was still holding back the really bad news.

"Has your father had a drinking problem previously?" It would explain a lot if he did.

Kate nodded and looked down at him. "Right after my mom was killed. Neither of us took her death all that well. Dad turned to the bottle before he finally got clean. Why? What's wrong?" She look over at the doctor.

"We believe he may be having acute liver failure. What we haven't yet worked out is if both livers are failing or both of them are. By that I mean your liver has left and right lobes. One or perhaps both of his lobes appear to be failing. We can't allow the lobe that might be failing to remain. Though if both are failing… I'm really sorry, Miss Beckett." He meant without a liver he would die.

Kate turned back to look at her dad and felt her tears start. He was going to die and she didn't understand why he had gone back to drinking. "What can you do?" They weren't rich but her dad did have medical coverage from work.

"For now we want to keep monitoring him meaning we are going to need to keep him for a while. If his tests continue to deteriorate, we'll need to discuss surgery. If both sections of his liver are failing…I'm afraid there isn't much we can do. We can make sure he is pain free until the end.

"Try to think good thoughts. If the problem is restricted to just one lobe and the damage is minimal we can do surgery to remove that section. He can still live a nice long life provided he stays away from alcohol. His next trip here might be his last." She needed to be warned.

"Stay as long as you wish. I suggest you call someone to help you if you can. Let the nurse know and she'll make the call for you. I wish I had better news for you, but it's not over yet. We're going to do all we can." The doctor gently squeezed her arm for a moment and then left her with her dad.

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Rick was happy to finally be home. He had a whole month to be home before being sent to a naval training school. He would get his orders in the mail in two weeks. Report to the place indicated within the following two weeks and they would transport him. His mother was probably going to kill him but he was doing what he thought was best.

The closer he got the darker it got until by the time he had reached the house he found that it was dark. The other houses around them were all lit up but theirs was dark. For Rick that meant two things: one she was still in New York City or two, she was simply out. Simply being out meant she was close. New York City was a really long ways away and it would take days to get there. He really needed to see her so if she wasn't here it meant he needed to start traveling. He didn't want his mother to find out he had enlisted in the Navy the hard way. The very worst way would be finding out that he had died in an attack when she didn't even know that he was in the military.

It meant he had two weeks to find her if she wasn't here. He did have two weeks to reach her, talk to her and two more weeks to get back here to catch his ride. He feared he might need all that time if she didn't leave him any clues as to just where she was.

He knew where the spare key was hidden so he had no trouble getting inside. His first try at turning on the lights told him the power was out, which was a problem since it was getting really dark outside. Rick knew his way around in the dark and moved to the kitchen next. Turning on the water at the sink told him that the water was off as well. "Mother's definitely not home."

Next he went to the phone hanging on the wall, lifted it, and listened to the dial tone. "At least the phone still works." Staying there tonight was going to be a challenge with no water and no power.

The one really good thing about being a lighthouse keeper for the last two years was that the pay was good and until Kate showed up he had barely spent any of it. Getting her the coat, exotic meats, feminine pads, boots, her cloth, and other things had cost him but it wasn't really all that much. It meant he presently had money so he could afford a hotel for the night and then a train ticket to New York City. Just as soon as he figured out just where in the city she was.

Next he opened the kitchen junk drawer, got out the flashlight, and turned it on. At least it worked and now he had light so he could do some searching. He automatically pointed the light at the floor and saw a piece of paper lying there under the phone. Rick surmised that it had at one time been tucked under the phone and had simply fallen out. He picked it up and read it. It was simple enough. It gave the name of a place but no address or phone number. Since it said theater in the name he was guessing that was where his mother had gone to. Now he just needed to figure out where this place was.

For now he picked up the phone and dialed the number that Kate had had him memorize, her dad's number. He let it ring and ring and ring before finally giving up. "No one's home. Or they're heavy sleepers." They were several hours ahead of him. He would try again later.

Since sleeping here was out he went back outside and started walking since their car was also missing. It was really late and he was tired from all the travel and walking and just wanted a room.

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The trip wasn't inexpensive, however he'd splurged a little and gotten a ticket that included a sleeper berth. While the food on the train was edible it was also a little pricey so he was down to eating one meal a day. Victoria BC to New York City was a long trip.

Next he found a taxi and was soon standing outside of an old run-down building. "Really Mother?" He sometimes questioned why she was so into being an actress. As to why Broadway instead of Hollywood, he could only guess. Though he was betting it was because she was in front of a live audience and she had to get it right the first time.

Still he went inside and found the place almost full of people. All of them were seated so he went to the lady behind the counter. "Name? Have you been here before, do we have a folder on you?" She didn't even wait for him to say anything. "Fill this out and we'll be right with you." She dropped a clipboard filled with papers on the desk right in front of him.

Rick ignored the clipboard. "I'm not here for a job. I'm looking for Martha Rodgers. She's my mother. She left me this address as a way to locate her."

Finally she glanced at Rick and looked him over. Right off the bat she noticed that he was young, well not that young, but clearly he should be involved in the war. Not here looking for a job. She also wished she was young and good-looking again. He was a hunk. "Who again?" She really hadn't been paying any attention. He was just another person looking for a job when they had so few to hand out.

"Martha Rodgers," Rick patiently told her again.

Since it meant getting rid of him easily enough she got up, went over to the bank of filing cabinets, and started her search. Finally she pulled out a folder and went back over to him. "Martha Rodgers. She's presently working on the _A Bell for Adano." _Then she told him which theater it was presently playing in and went back to put her folder away.

"Thank you." It was enough for Rick. He didn't know where the theater was but he was betting a taxi driver would.

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Rick paid the driver and stood outside the theater. His next trick was getting inside the place since it presently wasn't showing a show. He didn't even know if she would be here. But he was counting on them doing some rehearsing before a show. Especially if they had a change in performers. The front might be locked, and after checking the doors, they were. It meant heading for the back door. It was where all of the performers would enter anyway.

The back door also meant the interior was darker, not even a little bit nice. Nothing like the front of the theater. This was the business end of theater and it wasn't meant to be pretty. It was filled with stuff that was in storage along with a number of rooms.

Rick stopped the first person he saw. "Martha Rodgers?" All he got was him pointing then moving on. "Nice talking with you." The guy didn't even bother to return the insult.

The area pointed to looked like a backdrop preparation area. A place where you made or repaired backdrops or even other props. He saw her red hair straight away. It had him smiling wide since she was obviously telling someone that it was all wrong. "Be nice, Mother," Rick called out. She turned his way and he saw her face light up at the sight of him.

"RICHARD!" Martha hurried to him and wrapped her arms around him. Her son wasn't on some tiny island in the middle of nowhere any longer. He was here in New York City. For the first time in a long time Rick saw tears which promptly got wiped away.

"You look well, Richard!" He had a shine to his face that she didn't remember ever being there before. "Richard…, what's her name?" There was only one reason for him to look this happy. How he found someone while living on a tiny island wasn't important.

Rick immediately began laughing. "It's good to see you too, Mother. And her name is Kate. She actually doesn't live all that far from here. She lives in Saint John with her father." At least that was where she was going and certainly not back to where she had been living with her husband.

"New Brunswick. How nice. …Katherine. You're going to have to introduce her to me." Martha was dying to meet this woman. "Give me a minute." She left him and went back over to the backdrop and started issuing orders. "My son is home so get it right."

Martha walked past him and held up a finger to keep him in place. Rick saw her go over to a different man and talk to him. He walked away and Martha just stood there. Since Rick, too, was curious he decided to join her.

Together they watched as the man came back and Martha introduced Rick to him. "A pleasure to meet you." Rick saw him hand something to his mother. Martha took his arm and began moving toward the back door that he had entered through.

"This is yours. It's a ticket to the show tonight. You will be coming." Martha wasn't taking no for an answer. "Let's find something to eat and you can tell me everything. Everything about this Katherine." Of course she wanted to know what he did for the last two years but what she really wanted to know was everything about Kate.

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_Something to eat_ turned out to be fish and chips which in New York City meant fried fish and French fries.

"I went home first and found it empty." Rick wanted to hear about her first.

"I got a lead on a new play and they needed people. The war has been a godsend for Broadway. So many people are involved with the war that they need people. That play lasted a week and I've been moving from one play to the next ever since. Right now I've auditioned for a role in what will be a really big play. It should last months instead of just a week or two. It does mean a lot of travel, though." Martha was hoping she was up for it.

"Now tell me about Katherine. If it's a long story give me the short version. You can tell me everything else while you're here." Where he was going to live was a no-brainer as far as she was concerned.

"Kate." Boy, where did he start. Rick took in a breath and let it out. "She stowed away on a freighter in Thunder Bay." He saw her open her mouth to ask him a question. He waved his hand like his mother always did to get her to stop. "For reasons we don't understand, it lost power and ended up on the reef just west of my lighthouse. It sank and she washed ashore."

Martha wasn't going to be deterred from asking her questions. "Stowaway?" Suddenly she had fears, but Kate was a woman, not an out of control, whacked out killer.

"Kate's on the run, Mother." Again Rick held up his hand. "She's not a murderer or some criminal. Her husband's a homicide detective who's also a controlling psycho that was ruining her life. She ran away from him after he attacked her one time too many. We know he's spent the last few months hunting her." Actually they only knew what Rick's friends had learned about him.

"_Husband _?" Martha stopped at that word and ignored the rest.

Rick quickly defended her. "She's filed for divorce and Kate doesn't deserve what Josh has been doing to her. She's so loving and nice and is very talented."

Martha heard one word in that statement. Her son was in love. In love with a married woman.

"How long, Richard?" Meaning how long had he been in love with her. Rick, though, heard how long had she been with him.

"She washed ashore about six or seven months ago, maybe. Every time anyone came to the island we had her hide so that Josh wouldn't be able to find her. We learned that he showed up on Caribou Island. That's the larger island next to mine. He never came to my island though I'm sure he asked about me.

"He beat her, Mother. And I saw the bruises his fingers left around her neck. No woman deserves that." Rick hated the very idea that Kate was being hurt on an almost regular basis.

While Martha wasn't sure about this married woman, she was proud that she had taught him well. Women were meant to be loved and cherished, not beaten, raped, or used for a man's pleasure. Women were not slaves like Roman slaves of old.

Martha doubted that her son had fallen in love the moment he saw her, so maybe a couple of months or so. Still she was stuck on her being married. She had taught him better so this Katherine must really be someone special. She didn't want to hate her but she really needed to meet this woman so she could form her own opinion of her.

"Saint John." It had Martha thinking. It was a coastal town so maybe a ship, though there might be a train between the two. It meant going through New Hampshire and Maine to get to New Brunswick. She was pretty sure her hoped for new play that involved travel was all United States travel and never entered Canada so Kate was going to have to come here.

"Can you contact her? See if she will come here? My place is going to be tight just for us but maybe we can think of something." New York was big so surely there was something.

"I have her phone number and address. Well, her father's place, anyway. I tried calling from home but no one answered. I found a place for the night and then came here after finding your note," Rick said.

Martha was happy with that. She would make sure he tried again.

"There's one more thing, Mother." Rick hoped she wouldn't blow her top after he told her. "As you know I took the lighthouse job to avoid being drafted. Now that that job is over…" He let that hang for a moment.

Martha felt her heart sink. He was going to be joining the war and she feared he wouldn't come back alive.

"While I was in Victoria I enlisted in the Navy. I didn't think I had a choice. It was that or get drafted and end up in Europe. I report to a place in Victoria in a month. I don't know where training will be. My tour of duty will last three years." Not everything he had to tell her was all good news.


	15. Chapter 15

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 15_

Jim was awake and had been for a little while. What he saw made his heart sink and brought tears to his eyes. Katie was sitting in a chair. She was all curled up on herself and sound asleep. It looked very uncomfortable. He also had no trouble telling that he was in a hospital. Even worse it was clearly a critical care room.

Although her hair was really, really short and partly blonde and partly brown, he would know his daughter anywhere.

He also knew why he was here. He had screwed up again. Losing his wife had been had been a hit that he had barely survived. He had lost himself inside a bottle. Though to be honest it was a lot of bottles.

Then along came Josh who was looking for his Katie. He had never really liked Josh. He just knew he was hiding something. He just didn't know what exactly. When Josh had moved them far away his fears had grown. Then Katie had stopped talking to him.

It had all been too much and he drank one entire bottle in one sitting. He could even remember going to buy the damn thing and when he had started, it felt familiar. It allowed him the momentary ability to forget. It was just that the first time it hadn't actually worked like he had wanted it to. It really hadn't worked this time either.

Then a nurse walked in. "How are you doing, Mr. Beckett?" She checked everything he was connected to first then she came to him. She put her fingers on his wrist and looked at her watch. Then she placed a thermometer in his mouth. She took it out, looked at it, then shook it and put it away. She saw Jim only had eyes for his daughter. "She hasn't left your side since she brought you here. She goes down to the cafeteria to get a little something then comes back and eats it sitting in that chair." She had no trouble knowing that she loved her father a lot. She wanted to say that she also cried a lot but didn't want to put that pressure on him.

"I'll let the doctor know that you're awake. He should be in shortly." She left him and took a quick look at Kate on the way out.

Jim lay there staring at his daughter. "I'm sorry, Katie, I'm really sorry." He'd screwed up and like last time it was all on him. Katie had helped him last time and got him to see what he had done to himself. To them. He hated to put that burden on her yet again. He truly wretched at being a father without his wife. Johanna had been the glue that held them all together.

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Kate woke up and was right where she'd been for a long time. Her neck let her know that she hadn't slept in a good position and her legs were asleep which was a problem since she needed to pee. By the time she was willing to risk getting up she really had to go. A quick peek at her dad showed that he was still asleep. She hoped that that was a good thing.

Kate walked past the nurses' station, went to the restroom, and was back just as fast as she could manage it. Once she was back she stood right next to the bed and looked him over. He didn't look any different.

She startled when a nurse walked in and began talking to her. "He woke up earlier and stayed awake just long enough for the doctor to talk to him. We let you sleep." She was sure Kate needed it.

Kate went from looking at the nurse to looking at her dad. "Is he better?" It was all she wanted to know.

"I'll call the doctor and he can explain everything." The nurse looked Jim over, even adjusted the bed a little, then turned to leave. "Have you been able to contact your friend?" She was all alone and needed someone to support her.

Kate shook her head. "He doesn't answer." She knew she was going to miss him, but she could really use him right now.

"Try again. You never know when he'll be back. Have you thought that he might be trying to call you?" And not finding her home either.

Kate thought about that. She had given Rick her dad's address and phone number. It was just that she wasn't going to leave his side. Rick just needed to answer the phone one of these times.

Since her dad was asleep and the doctor wasn't there yet she went to the nurses' station. She asked her to place a call then took the phone from her. She listened to it ring and ring and ring. Kate finally gave up and handed it back to the nurse. "Thanks." She went back to her dad and wished even more that Rick would answer.

Kate was still standing next to the bed watching her dad sleep when the doctor walked in. "Miss Beckett." He had things to tell her.

"How is he?" That was all she wanted to know.

"Your father isn't responding to treatment, I'm afraid. He was awake long enough to understand what was happening. Our only alternative at this time is surgery. We need to find out how much of his liver is affected. If it's small enough we will remove that portion.

"He was able to understand and signed the forms at that time. His surgery's scheduled for tomorrow morning. He'll be the first surgery for the day. I can't tell you how long it will take. That will be up to the surgeon and what he finds. Think good thoughts." He rubbed her arm and left her alone with her father.

"Thank you," Kate called to his retreating back. "Oh, please, Daddy!" She had suffered enough already. She needed her dad to meet Rick. She had finally found someone that she could give her heart to and in actuality already had. Since he had a free hand she took it into hers and waited as she stood there and watched him, tears running down her cheeks.

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As much as she wanted to spend more time with her son, Martha had no choice but to go back to the theater to finish the rehearsal. They had a new person and they needed to go through everything before their first show later today. Rick was left either watching his mother or just wandering around taking it all in.

Martha smiled. "We're free to go. Just long enough to go home and get you comfortable before I have to take a shower and come back for makeup. You can call Katherine while I shower."

Rick was surprised to see that her place was so tiny. Thankfully he had used the restroom at the theater so his mother was free to monopolize it which was a good thing since she barely fit inside it.

Her kitchen wasn't any bigger. It had only lower cabinets, a little sink, a small GE Monitor Top refrigerator that even had room for a couple ice cube trays. If she cooked, and Rick was hoping that she didn't since she was more likely to burn the place down than cook something edible, she only had a two burner electric hot plate.

She had no table but she had a sofa that Rick tried out while his mother took a shower. After looking it over he found that it wasn't a pullout sleeper so he was going to have to sleep on it. It was nice and wide but it was a touch short for him since he was over six feet.

It was a little cool in New York so he was hoping she had spare sheets, blankets, and pillows.

Next came using the phone and calling the number from memory. He let it ring and ring and ring. However, no one answered. He simply chalked it up to her and her dad spending their time outside celebrating her arrival.

His mother didn't have anything to drink so he settled for a glass of water. He cringed as the water came out brown at first. "Lovely." He wasn't sure what his mother found in this place but maybe it was all she could afford. She did still own the home even if she had shut off all of the services save for the phone.

Rick was sitting on the sofa with his bag on the floor when Martha emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel and went into her bedroom to get changed.

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Martha stopped for a snack that she would eat while doing her makeup. Since the show wasn't for over an hour Rick was free to go find something to eat before the show.

**A Bell for Adano**

_After the Allied invasion of Italy during World War II, U.S. Army major Victor Joppolo is placed in charge of the small Sicilian fishing village of Adano. Though he is treated with suspicion by the villagers, his fair-minded rule of the town soon quells dissent, especially when Joppolo attempts to replace the church bell appropriated by Fascist forces to be melted into ammunition. While in town, Joppolo becomes smitten with Tina, a fisherman's daughter._

Rick didn't see his mother for a little while. He soon learned that she was the mother of Tina who was being courted by Joppolo. He also knew that this show must be really new since they had only just succeeded in taking Sicily from the Germans.

It felt like the war was winding down but there was still a lot of fighting taking place. They hadn't even tried to take Italy yet, let alone getting all that far in Europe. He still thought his choice of joining the Canadian Navy was his best bet.

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It took Rick forever to get out of the theater. The place had been filled to the very last seat. He had even seen workers checking if each and every seat was actually empty and if it was they filled it with people.

Fortunately he remembered the way home. Well, home for now anyway. His mother had warned him that this was just the first show for the day. There would be an hour intermission before they did the show once again with a new audience. When he finally got outside he saw a line of people waiting to get in. It was an interesting show but he wasn't sure it was that good. Not that he was ever going to tell his mother that. Not unless he wanted his ass removed.

"It was great. You'll love it," he told the people up front then made his way home.

Once he got there he picked up the phone and dialed the number Kate had drummed into his brain. He was lucky he remembered his own phone number. "Nothing." It rang practically forever and now he was beginning to worry.

Maybe he had the number wrong. What if Kate never made it? But that didn't work unless her dad was no longer there. "So what went wrong?" His mother was going to kill him but he was starting of thinking about going there. It wasn't all that far since he was on this side now. It was likely just a few hours by train. He even had the money for the ticket.

There was at least a TV even if it was rather small. Okay really small and much like Canada there was only really three channels to chose from.

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Rick was a little tired and extremely bored by the time Martha finally came home. She had done two shows today and wasn't even tired. Though that was because she was way too worked up.

"Richard." She was really glad to see him. Seeing him actually helped to calm her down a little.

Rick was glad she was home. It wasn't until now that he understood how much he really missed his job at the lighthouse. All that work kept him busy and then Kate had shown up and turned his job into the ultimate experience.

Except something was off. "What's wrong, Mother?" She didn't look happy. "Did the next show not go well?"

"No, it was fine. We were informed that the show was closed. We were all effectively fired." She had gone through this ever since she had gotten here and was a little tired of it. Now she needed to find another job. She really needed that new show to hire her and keep her busy for weeks. Martha had no trouble about traveling for days, weeks, or even longer.

Rick hadn't been expecting that. "I'm sorry, Mother." He knew she was a dedicated actress. It was all she ever talked about when he was growing up. "What are you going to do now?"

"Find another show. Go ask about the one show that I really want to be a part of. They think it might last a really long time. They're talking about traveling from city to city. I just don't know when it is going to start." They hadn't told her a whole lot. Just a few questions to make sure she was ready to do a lot of traveling.

"I can't get Kate or her father to answer the phone. I'm starting to get worried," Rick said, hoping she had an idea.

"Are you sure she went straight there? She didn't have somewhere else to go?" Martha hated to ask this but it was a valid question. "Could she have gone back to her husband?" She had married him after all.

"No, she didn't go back to Josh. Christ, Mother! Of all the questions you could ask." Instead of being helpful she was… He didn't want to think of her like that. "No. Just no."

"Okay, calm down. I'm sure she's fine. There could be any number of reasons. If you're so concerned just go there." The answer was simple enough. "Just remember Richard, she is a married woman." He needed to make sure he knew what he was doing.

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Kate was scared. She didn't even try and stop the tears from falling down her face. She had gotten a last moment with her dad before he was wheeled out of the critical care unit and down the hall to an operating room. With nowhere else to go she retreated to the waiting room.

She greatly feared what they were going to find after the cut him open. She had been warned how long the operation lasted would depend on just what they found. She was advised that in this case if it didn't last long that that would be bad news. So the longer it lasted the better she should feel.

While her head said that was a good thing, her heart was telling her that any length of time was too long. She had her box of tissues and sat down until she couldn't take it any longer and stood up and started pacing. With each turn she looked at the clock on the wall. Watching the clock wasn't helping any. Fifteen minutes felt closer to an hour and when that first hour passed by, it felt more like three.

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Kate was ready to throw up from all the stress of waiting. Her body and particularly her stomach was in full revolt. Josh had scared her but waiting for word on her dad felt a million times worse.

It didn't help any when another call to Rick gained her nothing. She hated having to do this alone. First it had been her mother and now it was her father.

Kate had finally reached her limit and got up with the intent on walking to the nurses' station. Lord knows they had gotten used to her being there. She wanted answers. However she only made it as far as the door when it opened. "Miss Beckett. Follow me please."

Kate followed the nurse to the same room her dad had been in previously. Much to her surprise he was already there. She was held back while another pair of nurses finish settling him into his bed.

"The doctor will be by shortly to explain." They didn't need to be telling her how it went out in the waiting room. Here was more private.

The second both nurses left Kate was at her father's side and looked him over. She didn't see the surgical site since it was under the bed covers. However, his face looked a little more pale to her. She blamed it on the surgery.

"Miss Beckett." The doctor she knew well by now walked in. He only knew to be blunt so he got right to it. "I've consulted with the surgeon. The surgery went well. He found a section of one of his lobes that needed to be removed. The rest of his liver is still in place.

"We're going to keep him for at least a week. He should recover nicely and be allowed to go home around that time. We'll be sending him home with a list of things that he can and cannot drink. Alcohol in any form will be at the top of that list.

"He's also going to need to start making sure what he takes over the counter, like common cold medication for example, does not contain alcohol like most of them do.

"He's going to stay asleep for at least the next 24 hours. You really should go home. Get some sleep and eat something better than what's in our cafeteria. He's not going anywhere and will still be here when you get back. Go home, Miss Beckett." The doctor looked over everything and even took a peek at the surgery site then left Kate alone to decide what to do.

Kate was satisfied that he was still alive at least. The idea that he had part of his liver removed concerned her greatly. It was just that the alternative was worse.

By rights neither of them should even be here and yet here they were.

Kate watched him for a while standing next to his bed. It was over an hour later when she decided to go home and do what the doctor suggested. First, though, she stopped at the nurses' station and had them place a call for her.

Once again Rick didn't answer the phone. He had talked about joining the Navy, but would they send him right away already. She didn't think so but couldn't guess just where he was though she really did want him here.

"Call me if anything changes or if he even wakes up for a moment. I'll be here instantly," Kate said to the nurses and left to go home.

She knew she wasn't going to get any sleep, and she wasn't really all that hungry. She knew she could use a shower and a change of clothes.

So far her life felt like one big roller coaster that just never seemed to even out.


	16. Chapter 16

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 16_

Martha was in a hurry. She wanted to see her son off, however she also needed to get back so she could audition for a new show. It was the one that was scheduled to go from city to city over several weeks. It meant solid work and she would no longer have to worry about which show was going to be next. True, she was going to miss New York a little but she liked the idea of having a solid job much more.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Richard." Martha was still stuck on the fact that Kate was a married woman.

"Yes, Mother. Kate's worth it. I just wish you had the time to come meet her. You could see for yourself. It'll work out, you'll see." Rick couldn't see it not working out. Though there was one small problem. The war!

His leaving early also presented both of them with a problem. If Martha got her dream job she wasn't going to have an address. She wasn't going to be home and she wasn't going to be in New York City. In less than a month Rick was going to be who knows where for his training. It meant both of them would be out of communication with each other until one of them could work out where the other was.

The only common person they both had was Kate, so Martha now had her father's address and phone number. They were hoping to be able to leave messages there.

"I might not be here when you decide to come home." Martha meant New York since until the shows stopped she was staying here.

"I know, Mother. I'll call as soon as I get there." They gave each other a kiss on the cheek. Then Rick climbed into his train and went in search of his seat.

Martha stood there until the train pulled away and eventually went out of sight. She walked to her taxi to get home. She'd been so happy to see him home. But it ended so quickly because he was worried about Kate not answering any of his calls.

Depending on just what had happened she didn't know when or even if she was going to see him again. After his training he would be assigned a ship and she didn't know when he'd be back. And if she got this job she didn't know how long it would last or even what city she would be in each week.

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Kate turned out to be right. She didn't get any sleep except maybe for a fifteen minute cat nap. She was able to take a shower, change clothes, and return to her dad's critical care room the very next day. He was still asleep so she settled into her chair after looking him over.

He was pretty much the same. He looked smaller than she remembered him being and he was still a little pale. At least he was still alive.

She was still all curled up in her chair when a nurse came in to check on him. Kate left her alone and let her do her job. She waited until she was done and had turned to leave the room. "How is he?"

"He woke up for a few minutes earlier. He's scheduled to undergo some tests to see how his liver's doing after surgery. If the tests come back good we'll start letting him have a little solid food. For now we're feeding him intravenously. …He's doing fine, sweetie. He'll be home before you know it." She easily recognized that Kate needed some good news even if she couldn't promise that her father was going to get better.

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Rick had made it and was standing outside a very unusual building that he had ever seen. It sort of looked like two or more buildings that shared a common breezeway. Based on the number of mailboxes there were four places in this building.

The breezeway was covered which corresponded with the highest part of the roof. Then it sloped down on each side over the living space. He checked the address he had written down and started walking.

The front lawn was tiny though partially enclosed by a wooden fence. Rick thought with some tall plants they might be able to enclose it and make a common sitting area. Right now it was just grass with a lot of weeds.

The first two doors showed a different address so he kept walking. Like the first two doors the next two were directly across from each other. The one he was looking for was on the right. Rick stood directly in front of it, took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. It had a doorbell so he pressed it and waited. When no one answered he pressed it again. Then he started knocking.

"Nothing. I guess that explains why no one answers the phone." Why wasn't she here? She said she would be staying here with her dad in her old home. Then a new worry hit him. What if Josh had shown up, forcing Kate to go on the run again.

"And instead of being home for her to call me, I went to New York City to find my mother." Had he screwed up when she needed him?

It looked like the breezeway continued into a backyard so Rick went there to look. Out there he found a pair of patio furniture sets, one on each side. Complete with four chairs each and umbrellas that were presently folded down. The front had been grass and weeds, while back here the area was mostly concrete. It gave him a place to sit down while he waited for Kate to come home.

It also gave him a window to peek in to get a glimpse of what was inside. Immediately inside it appeared to be the dining room since he saw a round table with four chairs.

The back area looked like what he thought they should have done to the front. There were tall bushes that surrounded the space and provided some privacy. There was also a gate that he went to next and opened it to look outside.

What he found was an alley that was filled with trash cans and there were a lot of them. They were on both sides of the alley. He was guessing the trash truck would drive down this alley, pick up the trash and dump it into the truck, and just keep going. To him it just looked like a place that would get filthy if the truck was delayed or there was a strike.

Still he wasn't here to judge where they lived just so long as someone showed up. Since he had a place to sit he left and went down the street until he found a deli where he bought a few things, returned to the courtyard, and ate his meal in peace.

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Josh wasn't moving out. He needed a home to live in with Kate after he finally found her. So the man who showed up with an officer to evict him found a gun pressed under his chin. He forced the officer to back off after he reached for his weapon. Then he pulled the man into his home and closed and locked the door.

Now that man was sitting tied to a dining room chair with a gag in his mouth. He was also sitting a few feet inside the main living room window. If any shots were fired, he would die first.

He had boarded up the back door and in addition had half the windows covered in lumber he'd managed to scrounge from abandoned houses and other buildings. All of the back and side windows were now covered. Only the front windows remained uncovered.

He knew what was coming but his alcohol sodden brain told him this was the only way. All he had to do was persuade these people that this was his house. That he just needed to find Kate and everything would go back to normal.

He ignored all of their calls to his house using their bullhorn. Then finally his house phone started ringing. It had been turned off a couple of weeks ago. He answered the phone and gave them his one and only demand: find his wife and bring her home. If they used tear gas he had a mask. If they tried firing into his house, the man tied to the chair would die first when they hit him and killed him.

He lied about how many weapons he had and how much ammunition he had. He really only had the one weapon and not that much ammunition. His alcohol soaked mind had told him that this was going to work and that they would cave and give him his wife back. Then his life would go back to the way it was before she ran away from him.

He even had a plan on how to stay awake all night long. He was ready for them to turn on a number of lights and try and see in during the night. If there was any shooting it was all their fault.

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Kate was all curled up on her chair, waiting for her dad to wake up after surgery while she was there. She had been told he woke up for a short time while she was gone. She really wanted to talk to him. She had talked with the doctor and knew he would live. He just needed to stay away from alcohol along with a few other things.

She jerked her head and watched as a nurse came in to check on him. She even adjusted the bed a little and smiled at her on the way back out. To Kate it felt like she was living here instead of at home where they both should rightly be.

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Jim had been awake for a while and was watching his daughter sleep in that same chair again. As usual she was all curled up on herself and she looked extremely uncomfortable. It pained him greatly knowing he was the cause. If he wasn't so weak neither of them would be here.

Finally he saw her wake up and start to stretch. It only hurt his heart a little more as he saw the pain of it on her face. He was the cause. "Sorry." His voice wasn't strong and a little rough sounding.

"DAD!" He was awake! Kate jumped out of her chair and ignored the small painful twinges that her muscles were sending. What she wanted to do was hug and him and kiss him. But she couldn't do that. She settled for taking one of his hands in hers and stroking his face with her other hand.

"How do you feel?" That he felt better was all that mattered.

"Like a truck ran over me." If Katie wasn't holding his one free hand he would be rubbing it over his incision area from the surgery. That was the spot that was causing a little discomfort.

Kate was tempted to say it was an alcohol delivery truck but bit her tongue. "I'm going to go find the doctor. Don't move." She quickly left him and hurried to the nurses' station to tell them he was awake and asking for the doctor even if it was she who wanted to see him.

She didn't even wait to see if the doctor was available and headed back to be next to her dad.

"He's coming." Kate went back to holding his hand.

"I'm sorry, Katie." He had screwed up bad.

Kate quieted him. "No, no, shh." He was alive and that was all that mattered.

"Josh showed up looking for you and that was when… What?" He saw the face she was making.

"Everyone was right, I should never have married him. He's caused nothing but trouble. However, I'm fixing that. With the help of a friend I've applied for a divorce. Just a few more months and I'll be single again." Until she checked her notes she wasn't sure just how much longer it was. She was all set to begin talking about Rick when the doctor walked in.

"Mr. Beckett, you're still awake. That's good." It meant he was recovering from his surgery nicely. "How do you feel? Any pain?"

"A little about right here." Jim used his hand to touch his surgery area above the covers.

"That's to be expected. The nurse will be in shortly to change the dressing and check for any infection. Your tests aren't back yet but are due shortly. As you know the surgeon removed a section of your liver. He tried to only take what he needed to and make sure only dead cells were removed." He paused to let them ask questions. When neither did he kept going.

"I see you have your brochure and your list of things to avoid. You have to be very careful with what you eat and especially drink. If the product has a list of ingredients you need to read them. And when you go out you need to make sure that what you order isn't made using any of the items on your list." He paused again then continued.

"Needless to say you have to avoid all alcohol of any type in anything that you take. That will include a number of off the shelf cold medications, several of which contain alcohol. If you come back here because of alcohol it will likely be your last time. So be very careful." He didn't know how to make it more plain while not be insulting.

"Questions?" They hadn't asked any yet.

"When can he go home?" Kate was tired of living in the hospital.

"Is there anyone at home that can watch him? Cook, clean, help him change his bandages?" It made a difference.

"Me, I'm not going anywhere," Kate said firmly. If Rick did enter the Navy she was going to have three years staying with her dad to watch him.

"Katie…" Jim started to argue that he would be fine since she was fine.

"No, Dad. I've got nowhere else to go. So I'm staying," Kate insisted, not backing down.

The doctor didn't want to get in the middle of an argument so he remained silent until they both stopped and Kate was going to stay. "In this case I would say in two, maybe three days. We just need to get your test results back and for the nurse to change your bandage. In this case you may want to watch and maybe help her since you will be doing it later." He directed that at Kate.

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A satisfied Kate was heading home to take a shower and change clothes again. Maybe even make something to eat this time. The only money she really had was the money Rick had given her when they had parted.

Jim's tests had come back and they were favorable enough that they were thinking he would be released in a few days. He would undergo another round of tests tomorrow. Kate had also been shown how to change his bandages.

At first seeing the site of his surgery made her cringe. It wasn't so much that it was ugly, though it was that, it was just this was her father that had this nasty scar. It was filled with stitches that would need to be removed in a couple of weeks.

She felt better but her nerves were shot. She was all wound up inside with worry about her dad.

She fished out the key to the front door, went inside, and dropped the keys on the side table after locking the door with the dead bolt. Then she stripped while walking to her bedroom with the intent on using the only shower they had.

Once clean and mostly dry she went looking for something to wear. Her dad had saved everything she had left behind, which was to say it wasn't much so her choices were limited. The only really good thing she had to wear was the second dress she had made for herself on the island.

From there she moved to the kitchen and searched for food. The only meat they had was frozen so out came some chicken. She set it in a bowl under a tiny trickle of water in the sink. Since this was going to take some time she left the kitchen, went to the living room, and turned on the TV.

She had spent months without a TV while with Rick on the island and quickly realized that she didn't care for it much so she turned it off. It still left her with nothing to do.

She didn't have a sewing machine, no bolts of cloth, no colored pencils, or even any paper. She wished she was back on the island all alone with Rick. Those times were now some of her best times.

She mindlessly moved to the window and opened the curtains to let in more light and saw someone sitting at their patio set. He was hunched over with his head on the table, obviously sleeping. It was not what she needed. Some vagrant was taking up residence in their backyard!

That was when she got a good look at him. "Oh, my goodness. It's RICK!" She clapped her hand over her mouth and felt her tears starting. All this time she'd wished he was there to support her and there he was.

She turned and rushed for the door. She even ignored the pain of slamming her toe into the table leg. An "OW!" escaped her lips but it didn't slow her down any.

She left the door open, limped to the backyard, and stood next to him. It was him! He was really here! She felt her heart bursting. She knew for a fact that she loved him. Loved him more than she had ever loved anyone. Instead of waking him and kissing him senseless, she let him sleep. She reached out a hand and ran it through his hair. It caused him to moan a bit and move a little but he didn't wake up.

She decided on another way to wake him. So she started kissing his exposed cheek and then whispered into his ear, "Rick." He stirred but didn't wake up. So she went back to kissing his cheek and whispering, "Rick."

This time she got a soft, "Kate," in return. That one word had her smiling and her heart soaring. Even though still asleep his first thought was of her.

His head was turned enough that it made kissing him on the lips a little challenging. But she could reach the corner of his mouth and began kissing him there. This got her a new moan that was a little louder. Then she saw his eyes open.

"Hi," Kate whispered even if what she really wanted to do was wrap herself around him and hold onto him.

Rick was still a little groggy and not totally awake. He was pretty sure he saw Kate right in front of him. She was even wearing the dress she had made for herself. "Kate? KATE!" He got up so quickly that his chair fell over. But that didn't stop him from wrapping his arms around her and feeling hers around him.

"You're okay!" His fears that something had happened to her had been proven groundless. Then he kissed her and felt her kissing him back. "You didn't answer any of my calls."

"You didn't answer any of mine, either," Kate said tartly.

"Mother left a note that she was in New York City working so I went there. What happened?" He had an excuse so what was hers?

Kate had her own reason for not answering the phone. "My dad's in the hospital."

"What? Why? Is he all right? What happened? …Take me inside so we can talk." Talking out here seemed like a bad place to be talking about her father being in the hospital.


	17. Chapter 17

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 17_

The police had closed off the street for blocks, not just out front but the street behind the house as well. They had also evacuated everyone in all of the houses. There were police cars everywhere as well as two fire trucks and even an ambulance.

The man in charge stepped up to the officer who was manning the radio. They had reactivated his phone service so they could call and talk to Josh. "What did he want?" So far Josh had not responded to his use of the bullhorn.

"He wants his wife." The officer at the radio turned to look at him in disbelief. Both of them had been expecting something else. Certainly not to have them bring his wife to him.

"His wife?" Captain Linden couldn't believe he had heard correctly. He rapidly issued orders. "Get Davidson's captain on the radio. Maybe he can shed some light on this situation. Better yet get him out here. I want to talk to him. Then find out what you can about his wife. If she's important to him then she's important to us." Finished, he went back to his car and joined the others. "He wants his wife," he told the three of them.

"His what?" He had been expecting a request for a million dollars. A car so he could get away and lord knows what. This was a twist.

"His _wife__," _Linden repeated. "I've got his captain coming so maybe he can shed some light on this situation. Since his wife is important to him that makes her important to us. I've got another team working on finding her. …What a mess." It was a run-of-the-mill repossession of a house that he had stopped making payments on. There was a war on so it wasn't unheard of to have people kicked out of their homes because they couldn't make the payments since the men were in the military and likely over in Europe fighting Germany instead of home earning money to pay the bills.

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Linden finally had Josh's captain on site. "I need to know all you know about Josh Davidson. I know he was discharged a few months ago and the official reason. What I want to know is what his wife has to do with this." He needed to understand Josh if he was going to be successful.

Captain Greenway looked perplexed. "Josh was a good investigator at one time. One of my best. For reasons I'm not privy to his wife left him. He decided to use his position to try and find her. He sent out her picture to most of Canada as wanted for suspicion of murder. In addition I caught him drinking while on duty and suspended him. A review board found reason for his suspension." That was about all Josh's former captain knew.

"Alcohol." Linden huffed out an irritated breath. He should have known. Now he knew Josh was unstable and not thinking logically so he would be off balance and hard to deal with. "Where is his wife?" If he knew it would make finding her easier.

Greenway shook his head. "I don't know. I do know that her father lives in New Brunswick. She may have gone there, but Josh is good enough to have tried there already." Why else would he send out a **Wanted for Murder** poster.

"We'll still look there for her. If she can find a way to end this we'll try it. He has a hostage and firing into the house may cause him injury if not kill him. Provided that Josh doesn't kill him." Captain Linden would do whatever he could to get his hostage back and not put anyone else in danger.

"If his wife ran away from him she probably had a reason. She may not willingly come even if you find her," Greenway warned him.

"She _will_ come," Linden growled. He was going to make sure of it.

"Kidnapping her and bringing her here will open the city up to lawsuits and your actions will be presented to a review board. If you're not careful you'll end up like Josh." He was walking a fine line with talk like this.

"I have no intention of sacrificing her for the hostage. However, she might be able to distract him long enough to get the hostage. In any case she might be just what we need." Linden wanted her there, end of story.

"It's a mistake, but you're in charge. …For now." Greenway was thinking he needed to get involved before this idiot did something really stupid.

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Rick listened to her talk about when she'd made it home and then spent the last few days at the hospital which was where her dad still was. He also saw tears which had him sliding closer and wrapping his arms around her. Coming home should have been a nice time. Instead it had been hell by the sound of it. "Josh!" Rick had a new reason to hate that man. "A few more months and you'll be rid of him."

"Until he finds me and drags me back." She wouldn't put it past him.

"Over my dead body," Rick vowed. Kate was worth fighting for. She smiled and lifted up to give him a quick kiss.

"Except you'll be in the Navy and stationed on a ship somewhere for three years." There was a flaw in him being here to prevent it.

Rick felt terrible. It was too late now and while he didn't know for a fact that he would be inducted into the Army and shipped overseas, he was reasonably sure it would happen. Joining the Navy sounded safer at this point in the war. Even the dangers of the German U-boats had gone away mostly after the Allies had invaded occupied Europe.

"Have you eaten?" Kate could make them something.

"I bought a little something and ate it outside. I'm fine, thanks." Rick kissed her forehead.

"I see you brought your bag." She was betting it had his clothes inside it. "You can change and I'll put these in the washer." Kate tugged on his shirt. "Then hang them up to dry. I'd really like to get back to Dad soon."

"Maybe a shower even." It had been a little while since he had showered. He'd been traveling and since he was going with her to the hospital he wanted to smell nice.

"The shower isn't big enough for two," Kate told him. Granted she didn't need a shower but that didn't mean she wouldn't take one with him.

"Story of our lives," Rick chuckled softly. He gave her a quick kiss. "You eat while I shower and then we can go." He got up, grabbed his bag, and followed Kate to the hall bathroom.

He had no problem stripping while Kate watched. She took his clothes from him and went down the basement to load the washer while he got into the shower.

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Kate stopped eating her sandwich and chips when Rick came into the kitchen dressed and dry. She got up so she could wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him soundly for a change. He even smelled and tasted fresh. She wondered if they had time for a little sex. Then she glanced at the clock. The washer was done. It was time to run his clothes through the wringer into the rinse tubs and run them through twice.

As usual there was only one way to dry the clothes. He followed her back outside and over to the patio set where he'd been when she had found him. He didn't remember seeing a clothesline to hang the clothes and still didn't see one. He watched her set the basket of his clothes on the patio set, go to the building where she pulled out a line. Then she walked across and attached it to a pole.

"That's a good idea." He kind of liked it and watched as she hung his clothes to dry with the clothespins she'd brought with her. Their clothes were always out there drying so the neighbors shouldn't say anything. Besides they did the same thing.

"I saw the alley out back," Rick commented while she finished hanging up his clothes.

"Yeah, everyone's garbage cans are there. Once a week the trash truck rolls down it and picks up everyone's trash. A few places a little farther down actually have garages for their cars but it cost them their backyard. We have street parking." It was how Kate was getting to and from the hospital.

"Ready to go?" She wanted to get back to her dad and introduce Rick to him.

"Lead the way." Rick motioned for her to go first.

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Kate's hopes of introducing her dad to Rick were dashed when she found out that he was still in the critical care room. Fortunately he would be moved tomorrow morning to a room before being allowed to be discharged a few days later. Only family was allowed into the critical care rooms for visitation.

"Sorry." Kate was back out in the waiting room and back in Rick's arms that she had seriously missed. "He was asleep anyway."

"It's okay, I can wait until he's released. I've still got two weeks before I need to get back home and my ride to my training center." Today wasn't a disaster. It was just a delay.

Kate was happy to have him for two weeks even if she didn't know where he was going to sleep. Their place only had two bedrooms and her dad was going to need his bed. Regrettably her bed was a twin. However they could talk later.

"How was your mother?" Rick had told her where she was but not how she was doing.

"Mother's in the clouds. It seems the war has been good for Broadway. People are lining up to get in to see the shows though most of them only last a few weeks at best. Also actors like her are in great demand so she's been busy. The show she was in just closed so now she needs another job. She says she has a lead on a new one that should last months instead of a few weeks. It involves a lot of travel that I really hope she's up for."

"Sounds like she's having fun. Hopefully Dad will still have his job after this." Kate was afraid that if his company found out why he was hospitalized they would fire him.

"One thing at a time, Kate. First he needs to be discharged so he can get into a routine. After he fully recovers then he can go back to work. Companies need people during this time and can't be that picky." Most of the men were involved with the war. Jim wasn't losing his job, not in this mess.

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Jim was resting comfortably. Kate was so relieved that he was doing well and was going to be moved in the morning. So she was home with Rick and making dinner for them. It actually felt more like old times back on the island.

All the windows were open, all of the fans were on, and it was still warm inside. It was just plain hot outside. For that reason Rick was in shorts while Kate had chosen to wear nothing but a t-shirt and a pair of panties.

"Can you stop doing that please?" Rick pleaded. Kate was obviously happy since she was humming while she cooked. She was swaying her very shapely ass back and forth and it was testing Rick's will power.

"Hmm?" Kate hadn't noticed until she turned to look at him and saw that he only had eyes for her ass. "I thought you like my ass?" she teased and swung her backside even more as she went back to cooking.

Kate heard him moan. "What are you going to do about it?" She pushed her ass out a little further and gave it a wiggle. Then she squealed when suddenly she found herself being lifted up and carried out of the kitchen with what she was cooking being left behind.

He yanked her panties down and made her bend over the tiny dining room table. Next she felt his cock slide up and down the lips of her core. "SHIT!" She would have never believed that she could be this horny and this ready for him so fast, but she was. Before she could even ask him to fuck her she felt him bury himself deep inside her.

"Oh god!" She was pushing back toward him each time he plunged deeper inside her. She could hear and feel his skin slapping against hers. It had been what seemed to be such a long time without him inside her and she was finding out that that was far too long. What she was going to do when he was on deployment was not presently on her mind.

"Gonna…come!" Rick panted. It was precisely what she wanted him to do. Then he plunged deep inside her, held himself there, and grunted. Kate knew he'd climaxed inside her and that she hadn't climaxed yet. However, she didn't have to worry. He twisted her around so that she was now sitting on the dining room table and Rick pushed himself back inside her.

Kate wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist and let him fuck her. It also allowed her to kiss him while he fucked her. This position helped her a lot. "SHIT! I'm going to come!" she yelled into his ear and felt herself squeeze the cock that was inside her as her orgasm took over. It had been fast, raw, and full of passion and it was just what she had needed. She rested against him as her heart started to slow down. He was still inside her.

"Our dinner!" Kate pushed Rick back then felt him slip out of her as she jumped off the table. After which she rushed to the kitchen. She was doing what she could to save their dinner when she felt Rick wrap his arms around her from behind and start to nuzzle her neck. "Rick!" If he continued their dinner really was going to be ruined.

"I still want you," Rick whispered in her ear.

Kate felt her heart jump. She loved him deeply and she knew it. Now she knew that he wanted her even if he had just taken her.

"We can make love all night long if you'll let me finish our dinner," Kate bargained though not eating was starting to sound like a good idea.

Instead of answering her she felt Rick begin lifting her t-shirt over her head, leaving her standing there naked. Then she felt his erection rubbing between her ass cheeks. That was followed by feeling his hands on her breasts. Barely able to stand, she moaned.

"Turn it off," Rick ordered. After she complied he spun her, lifted her up, and planted her on the kitchen countertop. He guided his cock to her opening and pushed himself inside her. "I told you I want you. We can make love slowly all night long to compensate."

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Kate had rescued their dinner and now they were both sitting at the table, still naked, and eating. She saw Rick grin at her and she blushed clear down her chest, smiling back. She was full of his come but wasn't really worried about being pregnant because of it. Maybe later she would be, but not right now.

Kate saw him still staring at her. "What?"

Rick shrugged. "Just thinking."

"Care to share with the class?" She had no idea what he was thinking.

"I was just thinking that I'll be joining the Navy soon and will be shipping out in a few months. Normally I think I would be asking my girlfriend to marry me so I'd know she'd still be here when I got back," Rick said.

Kate stopped in mid-bite. He was talking about marriage. Sadly she was still married so that wasn't possible. It did tell her a lot, though. They hadn't even talked about marrying each other. Looked like they were now.

"You want to marry me? I'll wait! I promise!" Kate put her fork down and looked at him. "I love you! I'll wait."

Kate saw Rick positively beam. "Can I get you a ring to show I'm serious?" he asked. Kate had thrown her wedding ring from Josh in the trash months ago, right after she had left Sylvia's house.

She felt her tears start and her heart pound. "YES! …Very much yes!" Kate got up and placed his head in her hands and kissed him. "Yes!" She kissed him again. "Yes!" She kissed him. "Always yes!" She kissed him once more.

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Kate woke up, still naked and lying on top of Rick. True to his word they had made gentle yet passionate love to each other for what she was sure was hours. She moved her head to look at him and saw he was still asleep.

She had never felt like this before in her life. She had only thought she had loved Josh when she had married him. This was totally different. She even knew that when Rick asked her what her answer would be.

She really didn't have any choice but to be lying on top of Rick. They were in her twin bed. It had been her bed longer than she could remember. They hadn't always lived here but it had moved with her when they had moved to a place that was less expensive after her mother had been killed.

She really had missed this and was finally beginning to wonder how she was going to survive the three years he was going to be gone. Suddenly she heard someone ring the doorbell.

She groaned and failed to notice Rick's eyes snap open. It wasn't until whomever it was rang the doorbell again that Kate even thought about moving.

"Should we get that?" Rick asked. He was thinking that if it was about her father that they would call, not be at the front door. Then an idea hit him. "It might be Mother. I gave her this address. I also gave her the phone number." But why would she just show up?

Kate worked at extracting herself from Rick and went in search of a robe to wear since she was naked. Rick looked around the room for his pants.

She carefully peeked through the curtains. _Damn it, it's the c__ops!_ Why were there police at her door? Then they announced themselves again by ringing the doorbell and knocking.

Rick had finally caught up to her and saw the look on her face. "Who is it?" She didn't appear to be in any hurry to answer the door.

"Keep your voice down. It's the police." So far as she was concerned the police were the enemy because of Josh. The knocking got louder.

She looked to Rick for what to do. "Might as well answer it. This day was coming eventually," he whispered. He was glad he was here when it did. Kate opened the door just far enough to speak to them even though she didn't want to. She was actually thinking of ignoring them, but he was right. The police would show up eventually.

She was scared and wished Rick's arms were around her. "Yes?"

"Mrs. Joshua Davidson?" They needed to make sure they had the right person.

Kate knew he meant her but she said something else instead. "I'm Katherine Rodgers." That was what it was going to be after the divorce was final.

"Our records show that this is the home of a James Beckett," one of them said.

"My father. He's in critical care in the hospital." These two needed to go away...now!

Then Kate felt arms wrapping around her from behind. "Is there a problem, honey?" Rick asked as he snuggled in nice and close and kissed her ear.

"Who are you?" the other officer demanded.

"Her husband. Is there a problem?" Rick inquired and was close enough to hear and feel Kate choke on a laugh.

Both officers stood there with questioning looks on their faces since they had come there looking for a Katherine Davidson. They didn't know why, only that they were there to pick her up and take her to the station.

"Do you have identification?" They needed to make sure who was who before they went back empty-handed and ended up in trouble.

"Does it look like I have any identification on me?" Rick was standing there barechested, in his shorts, with his arms wrapped around Kate.

"Don't look at me. We were in bed when you interrupted us." Kate did her best to keep a straight face. This entire event was now very funny.

"I…" He looked at his buddy. "We really need some identification." They needed something, anything.

"Fine, but you two interrupted a very good time." Rick kissed Kate's head and retreated to her room to get his identification.

Kate stood there biting her lower lip to keep a partial straight face.

"Here you go." Rick handed over his ID.

They both watched him look it over. "Thank you, sir." He handed it back and looked at his buddy. "Thank you for your time. Sorry for the interruption." They both retreated.

Kate closed the door and locked it behind them. "They'll be back," Rick warned. This was only a delay.

She leaned her back against the door. "Probably…, husband." Kate smiled at him.

Rick stepped in closer, slowly opened her robe, and let it fall to the floor. "And don't forget it…, Mrs. Rodgers." He smiled and kissed her. "Now where were we before we were interrupted?" Rick grinned and saw Kate's wide smile in return.


	18. Chapter 18

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 18_

Kate wasn't thinking about the police who had come to her door as she walked with Rick to the room her dad had been assigned. At present her mind was solely on her father.

Rick's mind, however, was split all over the place. What his mother was doing right now. What Kate's father was going to think of him. What the police were going to do since he knew they would be back. Thinking that Kate was married to him wasn't going to distract them for long. They would be back if they weren't standing at the door, pounding on it even now.

Rick was given a reprieve when they found Jim was asleep when they reached his room. He was still being monitored but he was out of the critical care room so that was a good thing.

Kate found a chair so she moved it beside his bed, sat down, and took his hand in hers. Rick went to the wall of windows and looked outside. They were up high enough that he could see a number of rooftops. The place was never going to make it as a must-see sightseeing location.

"You need to wake up, Dad. I have so much to tell you. …Please, Daddy." He was the only family she had left. Technically that was a lie. She had cousins but she hadn't seen or even talked to them for a long time.

"Those cops will be back you know," Rick told her and kept staring out the window.

"I know. It was fun, though. I got to be Mrs. Rodgers for a few minutes." Kate smiled and looked up at him. If he was going to officially propose now would be good time. But he kept his back to her and kept staring out the window. She sighed and focused her attention on her sleeping father.

Rick turned and moved toward the door. "Where are you going?" He needed to be here when her dad woke up. They needed to meet each other. They were the two most important people in her life.

"Restroom break. I'll be right back." Rick left in search of the closest restroom.

Just then Jim slowly opened his eyes. "Katie." He smiled at her, glad that she was the person he saw first and that she looked good.

"DAD!" Kate was up in a flash and laid her hand against his cheek. "How do you feel?"

"Stupid, but better. How have you been doing? You look amazingly well." Technically Kate was still glowing from the sex she and Rick had had after the cops had left.

"Pretty good. …Dad, there's something I need to tell you. It's kind of a long story." Really long, actually.

"I look forward to it. Start with the short version." He was feeling better but might tire easily and drift back to sleep on her.

"I've found someone and I love him more than anything. His name is Rick, his name is Richard Rodgers. We spent several months together on an island after I washed up on the shore there. I learned to love him. He's an incredibly kind and thoughtful man. He helped me fill out the divorce papers for Josh. Please give him a chance. You'll love him." Kate tried to give him the short version. Very short version.

Jim looked past her. "I take it that's Rick." Kate's head snapped around to look. They both saw Rick standing just inside the doorway.

Kate started smiling and looked back at her dad. "Yes, that's him. Now be nice." She leaned down to kiss his forehead then straightened up and left him, walking to Rick. "Good luck." She patted his shoulder, reached up to give him a quick kiss, then exited the room.

"Where are you going?" She was leaving him alone with her father. This really wasn't how he thought it was going to go.

"Restroom," Kate called over her shoulder and kept walking.

Rick swallowed hard and turned back to look at Jim who was lying in his bed looking at him. "Maybe I should've let the Army draft me and died in Europe." It would be faster.

"So my daughter says she loves you," Jim remarked and waited for him to begin talking.

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Kate went to the cafeteria after the bathroom so she was back much later. She was even carrying a cup of coffee with her and sipping it occasionally. Just as she reached her dad's room Rick came walking out. Except she couldn't read his face.

"He's all yours." Rick walked past her without saying anything else. Kate stopped and watched him walk away.

"Get in here…, Mrs. Rodgers," Jim's voice said tiredly. Kate turned to look inside though she couldn't see him. Rick had obviously blabbed. Now it was up to her to come up with an explanation.

Kate went inside but came up short of standing next to his bed this time. "I can explain."

Jim, though, was ready for her. "Where exactly is your real husband since your fake one just left here."

Kate cringed at the word _fake._ In her mind Rick was more her future husband; she just needed to convince her dad.

"I have no idea and I don't care. Just so long as he stays very far away. A few more months and the divorce will be final. I should never have married him." She had made a mistake and it had turned out to be a big one.

"Are you going to listen to me and your friends this time? Or do you intend to repeat the same mistake?" Jim challenged her since he had good cause.

"No, Dad. …I mean, yes, Dad." She was going to listen this time so long as they all liked Rick, that is.

"Good! Rick's a good man. A Coast Guard officer that manned a lighthouse all alone on a small island speaks well of him. To be able to fix what breaks and is dependable enough to be left alone." Lighthouses served a purpose and losing ships because the lighthouse keeper couldn't keep up his job meant his job was important.

Kate relaxed and sighed loud enough that Jim heard her. "Now explain to me why you decided to stow away on a grain freighter." Jim wanted answers.

"Maybe after you rest." He _was _ still recovering from surgery, after all.

"Now, Katie, or do I have to have Rick demonstrate that he knows how to tie knots and tie you to that chair?" Jim pointed to the lone chair in the room.

She groaned. She was sure her dad would ask Rick to do just that and was betting Rick would tie her to the chair. He even might leave her after tying her to the chair.

"Fine." Kate sat down in the chair and began talking.

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Rick had found the cafeteria as well and was walking back with his own cup of coffee. He also did some people watching and looking into rooms that had open doors. Being in a hospital hadn't been and still wasn't high on his list of places to be. Save for the nurses and guests, everyone else was sick and in too many cases looked sick.

Stepping into the room he saw Kate sitting in the lone chair and when he looked at Jim it looked like he was asleep again. "You're still alive," Rick teased her.

"I can't say the same for you when we get home." Kate had learned from her dad that Rick had told him a lot. A lot more than she was ready to explain to him.

Rick defended himself. "You wanted him to like me but lying to him sounded like a bad plan to me. Sooo…"

"Did you have to tell him everything?" She had wanted to break it to him slowly.

"Do you mean everything or _everything_ ?" Rick grinned at her.

"You know what I mean, mister." She most certainly was _not_ telling her dad just how much sex they were having even though she was technically married. She was still mildly uncomfortable with being married and making love to him as much as they did. She even knew that sex was going to happen tonight when they got home.

"But you're right." She didn't want him lying to her dad.

"Okay, are we staying or do we leave?" Rick asked.

"Are you in a hurry?" She had spent days in this hospital and Rick had only been here a few hours.

"A little. I have somewhere I want to go before we go home. We can come back tomorrow. Visiting hours end soon anyway." Rick had seen the sign about visiting hours.

Kate had been violating visiting hours since she'd been there and didn't think that would change now that her dad had his own room and was out of the critical care ward. Still she had driven him here using her dad's car so if he needed to be somewhere she needed to take him.

"Let's go then." Kate checked on her dad one last time and then left.

"We can stop for groceries after if need be." Rick actually had two reasons for wanting to leave.

Kate nodded. It had her thinking about just how much food they had and just how much money she had to buy groceries with. That money was what Rick had given her before they'd separated. She had been far too preoccupied with her dad's health to worry about money.

Since all this hospital care wasn't free she would worry about that cost later. Her dad needed to be better and out of the hospital first.

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"Rick, where are we going?" Kate had thus far accepted his _turn here_ and then _turn there _ commands without comment. However, now she was beyond curious.

"Park there." Rick saw a space and it just happened to be right out front of where he wanted to go.

Kate watched him get out then followed him and saw him head for the store right in front of them. "A jewelry store?" She stood outside as she looked it over. It was a plain enough looking store, though the glass did have a fair amount of crisscrossing steel mesh behind it. Even the door looked stronger than normal.

Kate came through the door just in time to hear Rick answer the lady's question. "We're looking for engagement rings."

Stunned, Kate stood there with her hand over her mouth as her disbelief of the moment was in full swing. He was here to.… He had brought her here to…. Was he serious?

"Of course, sir. We have a nice selection to choose from." She moved to a display case and stood on one side and began showing Rick rings.

Kate slowly walked over to join him. "Rick?" Kate whispered to him. She needed an explanation. They had kind of talked about this but she was still officially married so why was he doing this now?

"This is your ring, you should get to pick," Rick said gently. He looked at the prices and decided on the section Kate could chose from. "So long as it's in this area here." He had money but he wasn't rich.

"Me? I get to pick?" She didn't think she was supposed to be choosing the ring. Josh had bought the last ring without any input from her. Not that she knew where it was now and didn't care in the least. But wasn't Rick supposed to buy it and surprise her with it?

"Is this the lucky lady?" The saleslady looked Kate over and studied her hand. "Maybe this one. It won't overwhelm her slender fingers and still be special." She took out a ring and showed it to both of them.

Rick ignored it; something else had caught his eye. "What about this one?" It technically wasn't in the area he had given Kate to look in. Plus it was just a touch more than he wanted to spend. However, the money he had was more than enough and his money was earning him money, plus he would get military pay and not have much to spend it on.

"That's a lovely one. Unique and elegant, it's an 18K white gold band topped with a pair of stylized dolphins that loop at the center. Polished diamond-lined ribbons bypass to create the ring's shank completing the design. It's 0.05 ct of diamonds. The clarity's guaranteed to be either SI1 or SI2 while the color is I or J. Meaning they're typical for average to good diamonds. I have a chart that might help you." She left the ring in Rick's hands, turned to find her chart, then placed it on the glass top of the display case. It showed both Rick and Kate that the ring was about average if not a little above.

"Rick, it's $167." That was a lot of money. She could see far less expensive rings even if none of them looked like this one.

"I like it so all you have to do is like it, too," Rick said.

"I have a corresponding man's ring if you're interested." She moved to a different display case and brought it out for them to see. The ring was black and had waves made of silver with dolphins jumping the waves all around the ring. Much to Rick's relief it was only $89.

"Well?" Rick looked at her for her approval.

"We haven't talked about this. …My divorce isn't even final yet." She barely breathed the last part so only Rick could hear her.

That had Rick taking her hand and leaving the rings behind. He walked her away from the saleslady. "I love you and I thought you loved me. If you don't want to get married…" He'd been was sure this was the right move, but maybe it wasn't.

"No, I do, I truly do. You just took me by surprise, is all. It's just that you'll be in the Navy when my divorce is finally final." Her head was spinning and she needed to think.

"We won't get married until I'm out of the Navy, but I want you to know that I want to marry you when I do. This is me showing you my commitment," he explained. That last word reached her head and her heart and it had her kissing him soundly.

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They were driving home with a ring on Kate's finger and Rick's ring on a different finger for now. She had plans to put it on a chain and wear it around her neck until the day she could slide it on his finger.

When she parked the car she wasn't even sure how they had gotten there. She was so incredibly happy and she was in the clouds and not really thinking.

Kate turned the car off and just sat there until she saw the ring on her finger. It was enough that new tears started as she turned to look at Rick. She loved him so very much.

"Should we celebrate this moment? I'll race you to your bed." Rick smiled widely as he opened the car door and heard the other door slam closed before his did. He turned to see Kate running flat out for the front door. What he couldn't see was the huge smile on her face.

Rick ran after her and reached her just as she opened the door. Then they both heard something else.

"Mrs. Davidson! …Mrs. Davidson!" Both of them turned to see two police officers walking their way. "No more games, Mrs. Davidson. Show us your identification." Their boss had removed their ass when they had come back without her.

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Kate was now sitting in an office with a different police officer sitting behind a desk. Her only real support was that Rick had refused to leave her side.

"We'll discuss why you lied to my officers later. Right now you are to be driven to your home. Your husband has taken a hostage and is demanding that you come to him or he will kill his hostage," they were both told.

"Ex-husband, ex-husband!" Rick said and they both saw a puzzled look on Lieutenant Johnson's face.

"We're divorced and I'm _not_ going. I'm not letting you turn me over to Josh who will beat me again and make my life a living hell. I know full well that you police help and cover for each other. My husband beat me and you did _nothing__!_

"You hand me over to him you might get your hostage back but I'll be held hostage. I ran away and filed for a divorce to get away from him, so I'm not going." She felt Rick's hand on her shoulder.

"Is she under arrest?" Rick inquired. "If you don't arrest her she doesn't have to let you force her to go anywhere." Rick didn't know that for a fact but he was betting he was right.

"Your husband…_ex-husband,_ has demanded that you be brought to him. Perhaps if you just talk to him." Johnson watched as both of them shook their heads. "Why are you involved in this?" He looked at Rick.

Kate chose to hold up her left hand to show him her new engagement ring.

That presented him with a new problem. He had talked with the captain handling the hostage situation in a different city. Johnson only knew what he told him. Problem was he also knew Rick was correct. He couldn't force her to go. Especially if she wasn't his wife but was Rick's wife.

He sat back in his chair trying to think what to do next. He called for another officer. "Will!"

Johnson looked at Kate. "Go with this officer. He'll watch over you and sit with you while I make a call."

He glanced at Will. "Take them to interrogation and watch them."

"Yes, sir." Will waited for those two to move and directed them to a room where he left them.

"I'm in trouble aren't I?" Kate was sure this was going to end badly.

"They can't just hand you over to Josh so they can get their hostage back. You have rights." At least she was supposed to have rights. Though with Josh being a cop they might try and force her to go. By the time he could find a lawyer to stop this stupidity it might be too late.

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"They're divorced and she's wearing the engagement ring of a Richard Rodgers. They're both refusing to be transported to you," Lieutenant Johnson told Captain Linden over the phone.

Linden's temper erupted. "FUCKING HELL!" As if he didn't have enough trouble already. What he didn't have time for was to find someone to do a records search to verify what he was being told. He was willing to have her forced to come to him if she was married to Davidson. But he had no authority to force a single person or even worse a married person come here.

Johnson continued, "I don't know who Richard Rodgers is yet. However, he's wearing a pin that shows he's in the Coast Guard." That told him that this guy wasn't stupid.

They both knew the Coast Guard wasn't military which was the only good thing out of this. Neither of them needed for the military to suddenly be involved.

It also told both of them that this Richard Rodgers might be able to find a lawyer before Kate could arrive and try and work at solving this problem.

Suddenly there was a new voice. "You know why Josh was discharged. He's no longer a homicide detective so if you're thinking about supporting one of your own by handing over his now ex-wife, you won't be able to cover that up as easily. Josh is a drunk and not thinking clearly. His now ex-wife isn't your answer. I suggest you come up with a different plan," Josh's now ex-captain told Captain Linden who was in charge of the hostage situation.

Captain Greenway stared daggers at Linden. "A review board will be mandatory if you do what I believe you're thinking about." He was threatening his job if he tried to force Kate to come here and hand her over to Josh.

Linden glared after that. "What do you want me to do?" Johnson heard over the phone.

Linden really did want to solve this easily and without and losses or too much trouble. It was just that his primary idea looked to be dead.

"Sir?" Johnson heard over the phone yet again.

"Release them." Linden ordered then slammed the phone down. He was cornered and now had limited options. He really had wanted to avoid a spectacle of having cops go in after an ex-cop who had a hostage. At the moment the press hadn't caught wind of this, but it was only a matter of time.

If he didn't handle this properly he was going to have to explain every action he had taken and that might lead to him losing his job. It would also possibly open him up to being drafted and sent to Europe to fight the Nazis.

It was time for plan B.


	19. Chapter 19

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 19_

Kate had dreaded this day. She was tempted to fake a problem with the car so that he would miss his train and be forced to stay. But she didn't want him to get into trouble. If he didn't show up for his trip to his training location the Navy would arrest him and he would spend his first few weeks or even longer in a jail somewhere.

Right now they were holding each other just outside of Rick's train as it sat there and waited for him. "You promise to write?" Kate looked up at him through the tears in her eyes. He had to write her so she would have an address to write to him.

"Just as often as I can," Rick promised.

"That better mean daily," Kate warned him as suddenly his train jerked. She kissed him and watched him run to the train car where he jumped up on the steps and hurried through the door. She didn't see him again. She stood there and watched until she could no longer see the train.

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Kate unlocked the door and found her dad in the kitchen getting something to drink. She hated herself but she looked to make sure it wasn't alcohol or anything on the list that was tagged as being bad for him.

Jim glanced at her. "Rick is away, I take it."

"Yeah." Now came the hard part. Trying to keep her sanity for the next three years while she looked after her dad and looked for a job. Since it had been an emergency hospital stay the company her dad worked for had been understanding so he was still employed.

Jim abandoned his drink and wrapped his arms around his daughter. "It'll be fine, Katie. The battle in the Atlantic is mostly over so he should be fine."

"You're not angry?" She meant angry with her for running away from Josh. For refusing to let the police send her to him. For falling in love with Rick. For Rick joining the Navy and leaving her behind. For agreeing to marry him after he got back or maybe even before if the timing was right. For a lot of things.

"Never, my darling girl. Rick's the man you should have met and married in the first place. I'm also glad that you stood up for yourself and didn't let the police walk all over you." He was thinking it would've been police helping and covering for police. They would have given Kate to Josh, gotten their hostage back, and that would have been the end of it. Maybe even of her.

"Thanks, Dad." His support meant a lot to her. "Now I need to find a job and start writing letters even if I don't have an address to send them to."

That was one more thing Rick had left her with. The desire to pursue her dream. She was going to look for a job as a seamstress for a reputable company and try and worm her way into design after she proved her worth.

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"You have mail, Katie," Jim called out after he entered their home. He was amused to see his grown daughter come flying out of her bedroom like a teenager, snatching all of the mail out of his hands. Then she went through it all, handing back to him anything that didn't have her name on it.

Jim put his mail down and watched as she sat at the table and started looking at the postmarks so she could try and figure out which one was the oldest. She then ripped it open. There was a single piece of paper that had writing on both sides. She'd barely gotten past the first paragraph. "Dad! Where's Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec?" It wasn't a place she had ever heard of before, until now.

"Dad!" she yelled again and turned to see him walking toward her with a folded up map. "Thanks." She helped him fold it out and then came the fun part. Trying to figure out where this place was.

Kate started in Victoria, British Columbia since that was where he lived while Jim started in Nova Scotia. Each worked their way across the country little by little searching each and every word they came across.

"Found it!" Jim told her and put his finger on it.

"Montreal! He's stationed in Montreal? But he's in the Navy." She was expecting him to be on one coastline or the other. Hopefully on her side. "Why Montreal?" She looked at her dad hoping he had a logical answer for her.

Jim shrugged. "Maybe he has to do the same basic training as everyone else before moving on to naval training. His training may months long. What does he say?" Surely Rick had an answer for them.

That had Kate going back to read her first letter though it didn't tell her much that helped answer any of their questions.

While Katie was reading Jim was looking at how far away Montreal was to them. "Let's see, were is Saint John, New Brunswick and this is Montreal, Quebec." It meant either going around Maine in the Untied States or going through it. "It's about 720 Kilometers, Katie, going straight through Maine. It'll mean about a 10 hour drive or about the same by train. There'll have to be a motel stay somewhere and that's if Rick has permission to leave the base to meet you." It meant if she went they would have to plan it far ahead of time.

Kate had heard him and ripped open the next letter. "He talks about combat training. That everyone has to do it. That he'll be there for weeks. He's in this big building with little heat and no air conditioning in a bunk bed." Then Kate started chuckling. "He says the food is wretched and wishes I was there to do the cooking." That had her smiling a wide smile. Then she ripped open the next one and began reading it.

"He says everyone in his barracks is Navy. And he's also made a couple of friends already. He talks about being a lighthouse keeper as being hard, but that this is way harder. He gets dirty and muddy each day. The showers are open and everyone showers in one big open room," Kate said.

"Sounds about right." Jim had no trouble believing it.

"Well I'm not joining the military." It didn't sound like much fun in the first place, now it was sounding even worse. "They don't even have toilets! He uses a hole in the ground inside of a tent outside of his barracks." Kate was starting to hate it even more.

She opened the last one she had and read it. "He says they'll be training six days a week and will only get one day off that will likely be spent on the base." She lowered the letter without reading it all. "He isn't going to have time." She had no reason to go there if he couldn't go off the base.

Kate read the rest of the letter with a heavier heart than when she had started reading.

"At least I have an address." She had a place to send her letters or anything else she could think to send.

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Every part of Rick's body hurt. He still had no idea how to fire a weapon, throw a grenade, or do anything that could be deemed offensive. Instead he was running until his legs came off. He was doing exercises before and after they did anything. He would kill to have Kate's hands work out all the kinks in his body.

Everyone else in his barracks were in their bunks the same as he was. Except for what was on the base they had no contact with anyone else so far. They'd been told that they would receive mail once a week if they actually got anything at all.

They ate what they were given and save for water that they could drink at any time, they drank when they were told. They showered when they were told, basically did whatever they were told when they were told.

"MAIL!" a new voice rang out and as much as every man in the barracks was feeling pain and lying in their bunks, all of them were up in an instant, surrounding the guy with the mail bag.

Rick heard names including one of his new friends. "Rodgers!" Rick held up his hand and found his letter being handed back until it was he had it in his hand.

Then suddenly he heard his name again and held up his hand and watched that letter being handed back. He was a little shocked when his name was called out again, then again, and yet again.

"Damn, Rodgers. Who do you know?" The guy was envious since he only had the one.

The guy was gone and Rick was headed for his bunk with a total of eight letters in his hands. A few had gotten nothing while he was sure he was the richest man in their building.

Unlike what he had sent, Kate, he quickly learned, had put numbers on the outside of her letters, telling him in which order to open them.

Rick slowly learned that her dad was doing fine. That the police had never returned and she had no idea what had happened to Josh and didn't care in the least. She was living in what had been her old bedroom like she had been before she married Josh.

Jim still had his job and when he was gone she was left alone with nothing to do. He learned that more than anything that had forced her out of the house was the need to find a job.

She was also back to doing all the cooking for both of them much like she'd done when they were alone on the lighthouse island.

Rick finally reached the last letter when he noticed something else. He brought it to his nose. He didn't know how she had done it but she had saturated this one with perfume and it had him just sitting there breathing it in. What the letter said no longer meant as much. Kate had sent him something far more precious.

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"Mail's in." Jim waved the new batch of letters that he held in his hand at Katie who left the kitchen and snatched them from him.

She sat down at the table and started smiling when she noticed that Rick had begun doing what she had done. He was numbering them to show which should be opened first or at least what had been sent first.

Jim had moved into the kitchen and taken over the cooking that Kate had left behind. "And? What does he say?" He was curious even if he didn't live for a batch of letters to show up like his daughter did.

"He says he's asked his friends to check up on Josh and find out what he's up to for me." Kate had just finished reading that part.

"That's good." Jim was interested in just what Josh was doing as well.

"He says what they find out will be sent to me instead of to him. Besides that he's still undergoing basic training. He talks about being able to run the distances much easier now. He and the others are still dead tired by the end of the day. They've been told that they will start weapons training next week amongst other things that they didn't specify. He's still in the same barracks with most everyone else. One of them fought back against their sergeant and is now sitting behind bars. Another had some kind of breakdown so they're down two men. He teases that they now have space for me if I want to join him." Kate smiled at his little joke.

"He wants to know if I have a job yet doing what I love most." She had another interview tomorrow. So far the answer was no but she was trying. "They're still confined to the base even on their days off so he doesn't yet know when that will change." She was a little disappointed by that.

She looked at her dad. "He wants to know how you're doing."

"I'm doing just fine, thank you," Jim answered as he took everything off the stove and announced that it was ready to eat. He put Kate's plate in front of her but she ignored it and kept reading.

"He complains that everything is the same color. It's all a little boring and not very helpful." Then Kate opened the last letter and started reading.

Jim soon saw her smile. "What does he say in that one?" His daughter was almost blushing so he could guess.

"Hmm? Oh, I can't tell you that, Dad." Kate felt her blush inching up her neck. She folded the letter and stuffed it down her bra where her dad couldn't reach it. She would pull it out later tonight while she dreamed of him. She might even use her fingers on herself like he talked about while rereading it.

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Rick and everyone else had gotten used to hearing his name called out over and over again when the mail showed up. He was taking a little ribbing over it from some of the other guys. However, most were simply jealous of him. They had no one who sent that many letters.

He was lounging in his bunk while he read each one in order. Then suddenly he started whooping it up and kicking his legs until he stood up and started dancing around.

"A Dear John letter finally?" one of his bunkmates teased since it was clearly anything but.

"Kate got a promotion! She isn't just sewing someone else's designs but she's being allowed to submit some of her own designs." Rick stood there and kept reading. She played it all down since nothing she came up with was ever used and so far she had only created two whole designs.

To Rick, though, it was a really big deal. He still had this letter to read and two others when their sergeant entered and began yelling. Everyone was to pack up. Basic training was over and they were being shipped out to start their naval training. They would be bussed out at 5 o'clock in the morning.

They weren't told where and Rick didn't have time to write a letter to tell her anything so it was all going to have to wait.

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"Katie, I'm sure everything's fine." His daughter was moping around the house. She had been for the last two weeks and he knew why.

"Two weeks, Dad. Two weeks!" She hadn't gotten a letter from Rick for two weeks. She had gotten used to getting several at a time, week after week. But now suddenly there was nothing. She couldn't help but think that something horrible had happened to him. She knew in the States people got telegrams announcing that their loved one had been killed in action. So far no one where she worked had anyone lose a loved one so she didn't know if they did that in Canada or not. However, the war was always the big news. With what she'd learned thus far, Rick's idea of joining the Navy might just have been the best idea.

There was a lot of talk about just when the Allies were going to invade Europe, meaning France. Most of it was all based on weather. Though none of them knew a thing actually.

"But why, Dad?" She was ready for tears to start. She wasn't sure how she was going to survive losing Rick. He was her future. She spun the ring on her finger again.

Jim saw her doing that. He'd noticed that she had started doing it when the letters had stopped; she was doing it even more lately. A sudden knock on the front door brought at least him out of it.

Jim saw it was a man who was even older than him when he opened the door. "A Miss Katherine Beckett, please. I have something that requires her signature," the man said. Now he was worried. Singling out Katie could only be bad news.

"Katie, it's for you." Jim held the door opened and waited for her to show up.

"Yes?" She saw him and the large manila envelope he was holding; her heart started pounding in fear.

"Katherine Beckett? Sign here, please." He held out his clipboard and gave her a pen to sign with.

He thanked her, handed the envelope over, and left. Jim closed the door, followed Katie back to the table, and watched as she slowly and painfully opened it. Even he was dreading it, fearing the worst.

There were a few sheets of paper and the very first one had Kate's heart sinking. "My divorce has been rejected." She was still married to Josh even after all this time.

Jim snatched it from Katie's hands so he could read it himself and learn why.

This exposed the next sheet of paper and Kate began reading it.

_To__ Katherine Beckett__, also known as__ Katherine Davidson_

_Enclosed you will find your notice of your divorce decree. You will __see__ that it has been rejected. Per Richard Rodgers__'__ request we have chased down Josh__ua__ Davidson. We have found the reason for the rejection of your divorce. I regret to inform you that Josh__ua__ Davidson is deceased. This happened before your divorce could be finalized, therefore it was rejected._

_At this time I have little information __as to__ how or why he died. Although I do believe that weapon use was involved. You will likely be __form__ally informed soon of his death. If he had any life insurance that company will be in contact with you __in the near future__. Since he was unemployed at the time you cannot expect anything from the police department._

_You are now officially single. If we receive direction from Richard Rodgers for anything else we will let you know. Please accept my deepest sympathy for your loss._

_Roberta Hera_

Kate looked at her father in disbelief. "He's dead, Dad. Josh is dead."

Jim for his part had just reached that part in why her divorce request had been rejected. You can't get a divorce from a dead person. Nothing was said as to why or how he had died. Still it meant his Katie was free and clear and didn't have to worry about one Josh Davidson any longer.

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Rick was at a new base and he needed to send Kate his new address so she would be able to keep sending him letters. Along with that he told her as much as he could about where he was and what he was doing. He had also learned that after his group finished all of their training that they would be assigned a ship. What he didn't know was what kind of ship. Canada wasn't involved in the Pacific war as far as he could learn, so that meant Europe. He still thought this was the lesser of two evils. What he didn't know was what he would be doing on his ship.

"RODGERS!" He heard his name being yelled out. He couldn't think of anything he had done wrong. Thanks to the basic training camp he was likely in the best shape her had ever been in. He certainly felt stronger.

"Sir." Rick came up and stood at attention.

"You got all the mail." Then he ran the batch under his nose. "I'm guessing you left someone behind that misses you a lot."

Rick could only smile. Kate had taken to spritzing all of his letters with perfume. He would be waving his letters under his nose while he read them. It helped him remember what she looked like, what she felt like in his arms, and the feeling of her lips on his.

Rick opened the one marked first and started reading. "DEAD!" He saw a lot of the guys look his way. "Sorry, not what you think." He read as fast as he could, desperate to find out more. He learned all that Kate and Jim knew about Josh which wasn't much beyond the fact that he was dead.

They'd had a visit from a lawyer who went over what was left of the Davidson estate which was damn little. The house had been repossessed then sold to recover what was still owed. As was the car. Everything in the house had been taken and sold to cover other costs of the estate. In short it was telling Kate that she owed a little but basically she was breaking even.

Then a letter showed up telling her that the life insurance company was refusing a payout since Josh had been killed while committing a crime. "What crime?" Katie had looked at her dad who studied everything that had been sent to them.

"He had a hostage." Thankfully Jim was a lawyer so he was able to read what was gobbledygook to Kate.

"A hostage?" Kate tried to think that through. "That was why the police wanted me. Josh probably wanted me before he would release his hostage." It was the only thing she could think of. It gave both of them new reason to hate Josh.

Rick opened the next one and learned that all of Jim's medical bills had been paid since he was part of the Physician Services Inc. (PSI). It was a doctor-sponsored prepaid medical care plan. It meant Jim didn't have thousands in medical bills which would break him.

"Thank god!" Rick lay back in his bunk and relaxed. It looked like their two biggest problems were now out of the way. Kate was officially single and Jim wasn't drowning in debt from medical bills. Now he just needed to get back home alive.


	20. Chapter 20

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 20_

Kate ripped open the letter marked _first._ She had only two this time but she wasn't overly concerned about that. All she cared about was that he kept writing.

The first thing she read was what his day was like.

0530 hrs: wake up

0540 hrs: morning physical training

0630 hrs: breakfast

0700 hrs: inspection of quarters and beginning of instruction

1130 hrs: lunch

1230 hrs: instruction

1700 hrs: dinner

1800 hrs: common station jobs, personal hygiene, study period

2300 hrs: lights out

"YUK!" Just reading it gave her the chills. She read her second letter and learned that his 10 weeks of basic training were over and now he would be transferred to either the Navy, Air Force, or the Army.

"So where are you going?" Kate asked the letter and turned it over to look for an address. "Damn it!" She let her hands and letter fall to the table.

Jim looked up from reading the newspaper. "What's wrong, Katie? Did something happen to Rick?" He could get injured during training and require hospitalization. It might not be likely but it was possible.

"His basic training's over and he doesn't say where he's going next. I need an address if I'm going to write to him." Kate looked the last letter over again just to make sure she hadn't missed anything. Still she found nothing. "Damn it."

"He may not know where he's going. The military doesn't tell them everything." Jim wasn't as concerned as she was.

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Kate got just one letter the following week. "ONE!?" She took it from her dad and was immediately downcast. She'd been spoiled with all the other letters and getting just one was a real blow. Still she sat down and opened it. The first thing she saw was a new address. "DAD, where's Farnham, Quebec?" She had his new address!

Jim got out the map and they found it almost straight away. "He's still in the Montreal area. I don't get it." It didn't make any sense to her. So she went back to reading his letter.

"He says he's only there for two weeks before moving to a new base." It still didn't make any sense to her but whatever. "Dad, it says he knows where he is going. Where's Halifax?" They had a new place to look up.

Jim put his finger on it. "Here, on the Atlantic side of Nova Scotia. Once he makes it there he won't be far. Let's see." Jim started to work out just how far that was from them. "Looks like about six hours. That's not so bad. Ask him when he has days off and I'll drive you to the train. Provided his days off match your days." She was working now. They were both making money and life was getting better for both of them.

Jim folded up the map while Kate got busy writing. Her first question was when he got days off so she could come and see him. She was so excited that she didn't tell him anything else. Seeing him was all that was important to her. She would do whatever it took to make her day off match his.

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A sergeant walked through the bunk room yelling out a name. "Rodgers? …Rodgers!"

"Here, sir." Rick left the drinking fountain and approached him. He wasn't dressed for more training. Today was a day off and most everyone had a pass so long as they were back in their barracks by 0530 hrs the next day.

"The front gate says you have a guest," Rick was told. He stared at the sergeant for a moment then ran out the door, not slowing down until he reached the front gate. The sergeant shook his head. "Lucky stiff." The gate guards hadn't just told him that Rodgers had a guest. They'd also told him she was drop dead gorgeous.

Rick was only a little winded by the time he reached the front gate thanks to all of the basic training that had involved a great deal of running.

Now he was standing outside of the door with Kate on the other side. It had been weeks since he had seen her. He doubted she had changed much but he didn't care so long as she was the same Kate he had fallen in love with.

Rick opened the door and was instantly spotted. "RICK!" Kate ran up to him, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him soundly, searching his mouth for the taste she knew so well. "Hi, babe." Kate smiled into his lips and then moved back a step. "Don't you look handsome in your uniform." She tried to decide if she truly liked it. It was mostly black and he was wearing a flat-top hat that had H.M.S.C. on the front. There were white bars going up each side that were part of his collar. Under it she saw a white t-shirt. His pants were black as well as his shoes. Everything was clean and neatly pressed. She decided he did look good in black. He could lose the hat, though. It was stupid-looking.

"I see you've been designing and sewing dresses again." It looked like something she would do based off of the first one she had made back on their island.

Kate smiled and twirled in place. "Like it? I made it just for today." She was quite proud of it.

Rick stepped in close to her and lowered his head as if he was going to kiss her. Instead he whispered into her lips, "I look forward to taking it off of you." He smiled at her.

Kate sucked in a breath since she had gone without making love to him for weeks, months, really. Now actually sounded like a good plan but she wanted to spend some time with him like she used to do. They had all day, though.

"Me too," Kate smiled back at him. "So where do we go?" She didn't know anything about this place.

"Let's go find out." He hadn't been off the base since he'd arrived.

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They walked up the hill from the harbor and saw the Old Town Clock built in 1803, the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, then finally the Neptune Theater. Their first stop was down on the waterfront at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.

"I've seen enough. I'm starving." Kate was ready for food.

They settled on a place called The Cat and the Fiddle. They quickly found that it had live music. It also had Scottish and Irish food and beer along with traditional Irish food and traditional Irish pub fare. There were a few Canadian sailors already there drinking and eating and listening to the music.

Rick stood up and held out his hand. "Would the lady care to dance with me?" His smile was wide even if they would be the only couple dancing.

"I would love to." Kate took his hand and went with him out to the floor. The first song was nice and slow so it was easy. The next one was much faster and Rick had a sudden idea. He separated from Kate and started tapping his feet and then lifted them high off the floor and started dancing fast with his arms way out.

"What are you doing?" He had lost his mind!

"Dancing. Come on, try it before the song ends." Rick reached for her hand and encouraged her to do what he was doing. He smiled as Kate did her best to mimic him. When the song ended she was actually laughing as they went back to their table. "That was fun! A little weird but fun."

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Kate had never felt better. Okay maybe that was a lie, but in her recent memory she had never felt better. She was lying back on the bed with Rick right next to her after she had rolled off of him.

"You quitting already?" Rick asked, half teasing and half serious.

"In your dreams. Just trying to catch my breath." Four rounds of sex that she had been dreaming about for weeks would do that to a person. Though while she might need a moment or two, her hand wasn't all that tired so it found its way to Rick's now soft cock and worked at trying to bring it back to life.

Then Rick turned to face her causing her hand to make an adjustment. That was when she felt his hand slowly making its way to her core. She turned to face him thinking this way they might be able to give each other enough room.

"Babe." Kate had something she needed to tell him since he might not know.

"Hmm, want me to stop?" Rick's mind was on sex while hers was on something else.

"Definitely–" Kate exhaled sharply when suddenly that finger that had been stroking her outer lips was plunged inside her. "Definitely not, but I have something I need to tell you."

"You don't love me any more," Rick whined with a fake pout which earned him a swat to his chest. Then she grabbed a handful of his balls.

She smiled at him. "Are you listening now?"

"You have my undivided attention. What do you want to tell me?" Rick kept his finger right where it was for now.

"I got something from that friend of yours. The one that was looking into Josh." Kate drew a deep breath. "It…it seems that Josh is dead. Based on what little was sent it would appear that he took a hostage and wanted me in exchange," she said and felt his finger inside her move a little. Suddenly what she wanted was for that finger to do a lot more.

"I knew there was a reason I hated that guy." Rick had a new reason to be disgusted with her soon to be ex-husband only since he was dead it really was now ex-husband.

"He left me owing a few payments but nothing I can't handle. From what Dad and I can work out, he stopped paying for the house. It was repossessed then sold, as was the car. And since he was committing a felony when he was killed the life insurance he took out refuses to pay out. Essentially everything was confiscated then sold to cover costs." There was now nothing to tie her to Josh save memories.

That had Rick pulling out his finger and rubbing it over her clit which had her gasping. "So your now ex-husband is totally out of the picture."

"Yes, now shut up and make love to me." Kate leaned across so she could kiss him.

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Rick had insisted on seeing her to the train even though she had gotten from the train to the front gate of his base easily enough.

"There are horny young men all over this town thanks to the naval base. I'm not letting you out of my sight until the train leaves the station," had been his response. Kate found it sweet and it had earned him another kiss.

Now she was sitting in her seat with nothing but memories of her visit. They would work out when they could meet again before he was deployed. There were still areas of the city that they hadn't seen and another bed needed to be broken in.

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Kate had learned that there was no ceremony for finishing all of the men's training. This wasn't high school so there wasn't anything to attend. Regardless, she was so proud of him. He had survived. Now he just needed to survive being in the military during a war.

"DAD!" she had yelled at him from the table which was where she read all of Rick's letters. She'd just opened her last letter or at least the last letter in this batch.

"What does he say?"

"He's been assigned a ship and he knows which one. He says it is HMS Lock Morlich. He and the others are going to be its first crew. I guess that means it's a brand new ship. He says it's a frigate, 1,435 tonnes, almost 94 meters long, 2 shafts, 2 boilers, capable of 20 knots with a crew of 114."

"A frigate, that sounds larger than most of our ships." Most Canadian ships were corvettes as far as Jim knew. "Probably convoy duty and sub hunter." It was what most ships did in the Atlantic.

It made Kate's heart constrict. They had learned in the news that Canada had lost another warship just last week. The war in the Atlantic wasn't over yet.

Jim patted her shoulder. "He'll be fine. The Germans are after freighters, not warships."

The only silver lining Kate could see was that Rick had two and a half years in his three year tour of duty.

"Hey! He says he gets 20 days off every year. He technically has all 20 days left for this first year." She might have a good chance of getting to see him later.

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Kate hadn't heard a thing from Rick in what felt like weeks. No letters or phone calls. She couldn't help it but she was worried. It would be just her luck that the love of her life would be killed on the very first ship he was assigned to.

Kate snapped her head around when she heard the front door open and in walked her dad. He didn't even get to say anything since he held up a batch of letters in his hand. Kate launched herself at him and snatched them from his hand.

After sitting down she opened the one marked as first. "What does he have to say?" Jim would never admit it but he was almost as concerned as Katie was. Only all Katie did was wave her hand at him as she kept reading.

"He's doing patrols around a town called Tobermory. He says it's in Scotland. They're submarine hunting. He says he's down in the bowels of the ship in the engineering section. He says it was his idea since he knows about generators and motors." Kate condensed his letter down to something brief for Jim. "If he's that deep in the ship what if a submarine puts a torpedo into it?" Dying out there was bad enough, now her mind had him drowning in the dark after a submarine put a torpedo into them.

"What does the next one say?" If that was the first letter it told Jim that he wasn't dead yet so Katie should stop worrying over something that hadn't happened.

Kate ripped open the next letter and started reading. Jim had gotten used to her reading the entire letter before she told him everything. "He's still in Tobermory doing submarine hunting work. He talks about enjoying having brand new engines to work with. He isn't constantly fixing everything like he did for the lighthouse. Plus he doesn't have to mow the grass." Kate chuckled since it told her he still had his humor.

"He says they're going to get their first shore leave since arriving in Tobermory in a few days." Kate was glad for that. It meant he wasn't out there where the submarine were. She was also hoping he remembered her and wasn't out there running around with some other woman. They weren't technically married but she didn't want him cheating on her.

The rest of the letter was too personal to share with her dad.

She opened the next one. "He talks about sleeping in a bunk with a really narrow cabinet next to it on one side to put his clothes in and all of his personal items. He wants to know if his mother has contacted us." That had Kate putting down her letter and flipping through the rest of the mail. Then she found one addressed to her but it wasn't from Rick so she opened it.

"It's from Martha, Dad." She waved it and noticed that he came over and sat down. "She says she got the job she wanted. It's a play called _Kiss and Tell_. She says they play in one town for a few days and then travel, usually by train, to the next town. They have sleeper cars for them. She's in her fourth town already. She mentioned not knowing which town she's in unless she consciously tries to find out where they are." Kate chuckled. His mother must really be someone special.

"She sent a list of cities and towns." Kate held up a piece of paper. She had something she could send to Rick, telling him where his mother was and where she was going to be in the future.

Jim took it from her and looked it over. "She's going to be in 20 different states. Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, Mitchell, Fresno, Sacramento." Jim was impressed with some of the cities. It sounded like one hell of a trip.

"Mitchell?" Kate had heard of the others but not that one.

"South Dakota," Jim said.

Kate went back to reading her letters. When she had reached the last one she found out something new. "They're being moved to a place called Londonderry." Kate couldn't believe some of these names. "He says it's in Ireland. He doesn't say what they'll be doing there." It was the last she would know about until she got more letters.

"Probably more of the same. Those German submarines have caused a lot of damage." Most of what they learned was what the government was willing to tell them. That didn't stop people from talking so most everyone knew that those submarines were dangerous and sinking ships.

Jim handed back the list of cities Martha was going to be in to her. "Here, make a copy of this and send it to Rick in your next letter. He can't send her anything but so long as she keeps sending us letters we can tell him his mother's fine and enjoying herself.

"Oh and I'm sure you are but don't forget to tell him about your work." He knew Katie was only doing it because of Rick. Though having the extra money was a big thing for both of them. They could afford to move, but if they saved it instead of spending it might be best in the long run.

"Maybe you can send him your idea for a new design for his uniform. It didn't sound like you liked the one he was wearing all that much," Jim added since she wasn't just sewing. She was using colored pencils at home and designing a lot of new clothing ideas.

"He mostly just needs a new hat. That thing was atrocious." Kate made a face and shook her head. Save for that thing she thought he looked rather handsome in his uniform.


	21. Chapter 21

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 21_

Jim left the kitchen where he was putting a sandwich together to answer the door. He didn't bother to look to see who it was. It was more of an oversight than an outright mistake. Still he felt secure. Opening the door had his mouth falling open.

"Hi, Jim." Rick was standing there with his bag on the ground at his feet.

"Rick!? …How? When…? What are you doing here? How did you get here?" He wasn't supposed to be here. He was supposed to be on his ship. Instead he was here.

"May I come in?" He was still standing outside.

"Of course, of course." Jim stepped aside while Rick picked up his bag and came in.

"Is Kate here?" He was hoping to see her.

"She's at work. She won't be home for another," Jim looked at his watch, "close to four or five hours. She didn't say anything about you coming." None of his letters that she mostly shared had said anything.

"She doesn't know. Heck, _I_ didn't know. We escorted some empty freighters across the Atlantic and are now stationed in Halifax. I have twenty days of leave coming so I requested seven of those twenty days and was granted five of the seven. We ship out for escort duty in five days. So long as I'm back on board by 0530 hrs I'm good. I took a chance." Rick shrugged. It was what it was. There was no use arguing with the Navy.

"Katie's going to be very happy to see you. I'm happy to see you. I was making a sandwich for myself since I have today off. You want one? There's some Coca Cola in the refrigerator." Jim headed to the kitchen.

"That would be nice, thank you." Rick went to the refrigerator to get that soda.

"Anything new happening? Since your last letter that is. Katie doesn't share everything but I know most of it.

"Just one, sir." Rick did have big news.

"Please call me Jim, son. No need to be that formal. …So what's the big news?" He was going to get to hear it first before his daughter did which made him happy. He was going to be one up on her.

"Yes, sir. I mean, Jim. I was promoted last week. I'm now Chief Engineer for our ship and I'm a Master Seaman." Rick pointed out his two stripes with the maple leaf above them. "The next rank would actually make me an officer. I might actually make it someday." He was justifiably proud of himself.

"That's great!" Jim wasn't really sure just what a Master Seaman was or what it meant but he was betting it meant better pay. "Chief Engineer, huh? Sounds good. Tell me, do you like your job?"

"So far so good. I do know most everything about a ship's engine and can fix just about all of it. It actually feels good to get my hands dirty." Working on engines was something he liked to do.

"Seen any action yet?" He hadn't talked about any in his letter so far unless his daughter wasn't telling him something. "Here's your sandwich. It should warm up a little in a bit. It was a little cold outside this morning."

"I'm fine. Actually I kind of like the cool air. It's really hot and humid most times down in the engine room. I can't begin to tell you how many t-shirts I go through each day. One of the benefits of working in the engine room is that we don't have to wear our uniforms all day like everyone else. The rules are a little more relaxed for us."

Jim kept asking him questions since he had him there. "You told us your ship's name and a few other things. I'm assuming you're a sub hunter."

"Germany doesn't send out surface ships so there isn't anything else to attack. We've had a number of alerts about submarines, but we have yet to actually attack one. We have one 4-inch, four 2 pounders, four 20 millimeters on twin mounts, eight 20 millimeters on single mounts, 2 triple barreled mortars, 1 rail and 2 throwers for depth charges. We're well armed." His ship was more than big enough for him.

"Something about having an improved ASDIC and the latest radar antenna. If I understand it correctly, the original radar system you had to be pointed where you wanted to look so basically only straight ahead. This type rotates so we have a 360-degree view and can spot submarine telescopes. Or so I'm told." He was an engineer and didn't know that much about their attack systems.

"Sounds like you have a very dangerous ship." Jim was impressed.

"Let's hope so." He didn't want a submarine to put a surprise torpedo into the side of his ship.

"So do you think joining the Navy was still your best choice?" He had been in the Navy for a while at this point.

"Yeah. I don't know exactly what Canada's doing on the ground, though we all know that we landed in France recently so I'm guessing Canada's involved and fighting Germany on the ground. Submarines might be dangerous but I still think being in the Navy is the safest place to be." No place was 100% safe. Being in the Navy was a calculated risk.

"The invasion is all the news has been talking about. Everyone's speculating on just how much longer the war in Europe is going to last now that we're there." They didn't get detailed information but everyone thought the war would end soon.

"We'll see." Germany had conquered a lot in a really short time, so defeating them was going to take time, he was pretty sure.

"Do you need to do laundry? I have a load that needs to go to into the washer," Jim said.

"Yes, please, thank you." Rick took his bag down the basement and almost emptied it since most of his clothes were dirty.

They ended up sitting down and Jim turned on the radio instead of the TV.

"How's your work going?" Rick was curious. "And how are you doing?"

"Work's fine. As to how I'm doing, not eating or drinking something that might have ingredients in it that I can't have can be a challenge. I really wish everything had an ingredient list on the package. One of these days I'm going to make a mistake and not mean to." Jim was certain of it, actually.

"That's a great idea! Now we just need to find someone who can make that happen. I like it!" Rick was impressed. Unfortunately he didn't know anyone who could help.

"I want to thank you for all your help with Josh. I really underestimated that man." Jim was still kicking himself for letting Katie marry him.

"He hid what he was well. It's not your fault. You would need to be a mind reader. I still don't know what exactly happened. Did they tell you?" Rick knew next to nothing.

Jim shook his head. "The best we can figure is that Josh was fired, then he took a hostage and demanded that Katie be brought to him. We actually think the police would have handed her over to get their hostage back. After that it's anyone's guess, though both of us think they might have just left. As bad as that makes the police look."

Rick started shaking his head. He could see the police doing just that because Josh used to be a homicide detective. Still he wanted to think better of the police. They were supposed to protect them from people like Josh, even if he was a cop.

Suddenly the front door opened and in walked Kate. "Dad! Did we get any mail?" She hadn't as yet seen anyone and closed the door behind her. When she turned around she saw her dad and she also saw Rick.

A small cry escaped Kate's lips and tears began well up. She was standing there in disbelief as Rick got up and came to her. He was here, in her home, and not on his ship. She was only able to croak out his name. "Rick."

"Surprise." Rick took her into his arms and held her close and let her cry.

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Jim was outside hanging laundry which left Rick and Kate alone in the living room. "Five days, huh? Why didn't you warn me?" She didn't like surprises even if this one was a good one.

Rick kissed her head. "I only found out yesterday when we docked in Halifax. I asked for seven days but was given five instead. We ship out again in five days so I can't be late or I'm in big trouble."

"Master Seaman Rodgers." Kate was so proud of him. "Chief Engineer Rodgers." She was doubly proud of him. "Does that mean you get more pay? Does it mean you get more days off each year?" Kate had high hopes.

"More pay is yes, more days off, sadly, is no. Only officers get more days off that I know of. I'm not sure I'll ever be an officer but never say never." It might actually happen but he wasn't holding his breath.

"So any ideas on what we can do for five days, more or less?" One of his days was already almost gone.

"I'm sure we can think of something." Kate smiled widely since she was thinking of sex for all five days save for when she had to work. "Tomorrow I'll ask if I can have a day off or two. Tell them my fiancé is on shore leave for just five days. …Unexpectedly." She still wasn't happy about the surprise but was happy it was a good surprise.

"I'm sure we can think of something to do." Rick grinned back at her then kissed her. They only broke apart when suddenly they heard Jim walking in after hanging up the laundry.

"I haven't started dinner so should we eat out? Show Rick one of your favorite places?" They might as well celebrate that Rick was here.

"Yes! Good idea, Dad." Kate liked it.

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Kate was right where she wanted to be: naked and on top of Rick in her own bed. Granted she didn't have much choice since she had a twin-sized bed. Thankfully her dad hadn't questioned where Rick was spending his nights. But her heart was a little heavy at the moment, even if it was slowly calming down after yet another orgasm.

"Hey, what's with the tears?" Rick reached out to brush them from at least one eye. Kate used the back of her hand to finish the job.

"You're leaving this morning." He had an early train to catch if he was going to make it back to his ship in time and not end up in the brig.

"You make it sound like I'm never coming back again. I've still got 15 days off and only…," Rick raised his hand to count off the months to the year's end, "four more months to use them in. Provided this is a simple escort job we could do this again next month and then again the next month until I've used up all 15 days. Depending on just where we go and how long it takes us." There were still a few things out of their control.

"And get sunk and die in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean." Kate was pretty sure she wasn't cut out to be the wife of a career officer. Rick possessed too much of her heart for her to survive having him killed by stinking Germans.

"Then perhaps you should start thinking positive thoughts. Being a doom and gloom Kate doesn't suit you. You look a lot prettier when you smile." That managed to coax a tiny smile from her. "Maybe you should start thinking about what we're going to do together come Christmas. Depending on where I am at the time and if I can get the time off."

Now that had Kate really starting to smile. Rick home with her and her dad for Christmas.

"I'll buy you something in London and wrap it up for you to open on Christmas, even if I'm not here to watch you do it," Rick said as he kissed away the last tear.

Kate's mind raced, thinking, until… "Is there even any London left to buy things in?" The Germans had been bombing it night and day it sounded like.

"London's a really big city, even the Germans can't destroy all of it. I'm sure I can find something." You just concentrate on what to get me for Christmas," he said with a smile.

"Any suggestions?" On what to get him, naturally.

"Well, I can think of one thing." Rick wasn't sure how she was going to take this, but he went for it anyway. "Take a pair of your cotton panties and rub them all over your pussy, getting them totally soaking wet. Then wrap them up nice and tight under lots and lots of tape and cellophane and mail them to me." Rick started to smile hesitantly.

"RICK!" Kate turned to look at him and saw his smile fade. He wanted her to… He wanted to smell her and maybe even taste her. God knows she loved it when he did that. Josh had never done that even before they had gotten married. All he did was fuck her.

Kate went back to lying on top of him and started to smile. "Maybe." Now he had her trying to work out just how she was going to do just that and she might not even wait for Christmas to send it. It earned her a kiss to her head.

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Jim had his arm around his daughter and listened to her sniffle. "He'll be fine. He has a brand new ship filled with weapons. He'll be back, you'll see." Jim knew he needed to come back or his daughter was going to fall apart.

"He'd better." Kate wiped away her tears and they watched his train rumble down the tracks until they couldn't see it any longer. Even then they just stood there for a time.

"Let's go home, Katie. You can start writing your letters even if he isn't going to get them for a couple of weeks or longer." Jim began walking and took his daughter with him.

"You think Mom would like him?" Kate was pretty sure she would but wanted to hear it from her dad.

"Are you kidding? I like him and your mother would've loved him; I might have even ended up divorced." His wife would divorce him so she could marry Rick. Katie burst into laughter. She overlooked the possibility that her mother might have steered her away from Josh in the first place.

"Can we stop on the way home? I need to buy something." She wanted to buy the most absorbent pair of panties she could find. Then she needed some cellophane bags and a whole lot of tape to make it airtight plus a small box to put it and a letter into.

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The next month went smoothly enough. Rick found out that while he did get lots of letters for each mail call he also got a tiny box that was sealed, using more tape than he knew existed. He had to pull out a knife to cut his way into the package.

Once he got it open he found a ball of tape with something purple inside it. At first he didn't understand. But there was also a letter so he opened it first and left all of his other letters for later.

_Hi, babe. I love you so much and miss you even more. I've done as you asked and bought a pair of panties__. A__nd__ I __gave myself three orgasms and even pushed the panty deep inside myself. They__'__re soaking wet like you asked._

_I love you, please come back to me in one piece._

_Yours always,_

_Kate_

Rick saw a lipstick kiss was added. "I'll be damned!" She'd actually done it. What he wanted to do was rip it open and inhale her scent right then and there but he stopped himself. He needed to plan just when and where he would open them so he could get maximum value out of this gift.

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Rick had come and gone just once since that first visit. The timing and getting a long enough leave just wasn't working out for them. Still they both gladly took what they could get. It was almost Christmas now and they both had high hopes.

"Do you think it's big enough, Dad?" Kate looked at the Christmas tree that was standing in a corner of the living room. It still needed to be decorated. Since her mother had died just before Christmas, it meant the holiday had turned into just another day for both of them. Now, though, Kate was hoping to spend it with Rick and wanted everything to be perfect.

Jim could only smile. "Unless you want us all sitting outside it's going to have to be. Speaking of which, I'm going to go check the mail."

The sudden mention of mail had Kate almost running to beat him to it, but she needed to decorate the tree first. Then they needed to go shopping for the Christmas turkey at the butcher shop. Everything else could wait.

"Mail's in." Jim waved a big batch of letters for Kate to see. She abandoned the tree, took her letters, and sat down. There were eleven in total and he had numbered them as usual. Except there was one that said 10, first.

It didn't make any sense to her but she opened it first and started reading. "OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! …DADDY!" She yelled the last part.

Jim hurried to her side and put his arm around her shoulders. She was sitting there crying. "He was torpedoed, Dad." Kate was shaking so hard that she couldn't continue. The letter and her trembling hands were resting on the table so Jim picked the letter up and began reading. He found it to be very detailed.

Rick was off duty and had been asleep in his bunk when the alarm sounded. He had only bothered to put on his pants and shoes and raced for his position in the engineering section.

They took a torpedo in one of the engineering sections that had flooded that engine room. As a result they lost one boiler and one of the shafts because of the flooding. Rick and his team had kept the ship moving by not evacuating their section and kept everything running no matter what.

They'd kept up with the freighters and managed to make it to port on one engine. He and his ship were now stuck in port in Galway, Ireland.

"He's alive, Katie, he's fine. He says he and his ship are in a city called Galway in Ireland. He regrets that he's not going to make it for Christmas as planned. _Rick is fine__,_ sweetheart." Jim took one of her hands in his. "Open the next one." It might tell them more since it was later.

Kate really didn't want to read more; she'd already read enough. But she picked up the last one sent and opened it and started reading.

"He says he has bought Christmas presents for both of us in Galway and shipped them. He doesn't think they'll arrive in time for Christmas, though. He says he's sorry." Kate wiped her tears. He was sorry. He had damn near died and he was sorry.

"He's been promoted! He's now Petty Officer First Class Richard Rodgers. He says it was for his actions and the actions of his team in Engineering that made it so the ship could make it to port." Kate was back to smiling. The man she loved was now an officer.

"And unless he goes to officer training classes this is as high a rank as he will ever make." She didn't care, he was alive and he was an officer. "That better mean he gets a better hat." Kate went back to reading.

"His ship is docked in Galway until they can repair the damage. …THREE, MAYBE FOUR MONTHS!" Kate was dying. Unless you were part of the Merchant Marine or military, there was no way for her to get to him. He had to come to her.

"He says… Oops, can't read you that part." Kate folded up the letter and would read it again later. He had told her that her wet panties were now dry and he really wished for a freshly wet pair for Christmas.

"I need to go shopping, Dad." She needed another pair of panties. Maybe a different color this time. And more cellophane bags with a lot more tape. Followed by some free time to get them nice and wet for him.

Jim was puzzled. He thought she would have devoured the other letters. "Aren't you going to read the other letters first?" Katie had gotten up and had left all of the other letters behind.

"OH!" Kate giggled and sat back down so she could start reading.


	22. Chapter 22

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 22_

Germany was losing the war but just wouldn't surrender. It forced the Allies to keep advancing and taking more ground and killing more German soldiers that didn't need to die.

It was early 1945 and Rick was finding that his convoy escort trips were becoming uneventful. Germany had lost all of their ports so that meant they had lost all of their submarines so all of the convoys were now mostly safe. At least from German submarines.

Right now he was smiling as he walked down the breezeway. He'd asked for some time off and had been granted another five days. The first day had involved mostly traveling from Halifax to Saint John. Like all the other times, he hadn't been able to alert Kate or Jim that he was coming so it was going to be a surprise.

It was likely that he would even beat all of his letters there. He stopped at the door, dropped the bag, and started knocking.

"I'll get it, Dad," Kate called out from the kitchen since her dad was in his bedroom. She had just started on their dinner and hadn't even turned on the range yet.

Since Josh was long gone Kate wasn't afraid of who was on the other side of the door so she opened it without taking a peek. "RICK!" Her mouth dropped open and she felt her tears start. Then she leapt into his arms and wrapped her arms around him as she sobbed. She hadn't expected him. In fact she hadn't gotten any letters from him for over a week which told her that he was at sea. Getting letters from when he reached the UK took time.

Rick held her close and breathed her in. His wet panties from this last Christmas were now dry and mostly scentless so feeling and smelling her was very welcome.

Kate didn't bother wiping her tears away and kissed him. "Hi!" She smiled into his lips. "How long this time?"

"Five days just like the others. Have you got room for me?" He knew she would make room even if both of them slept on the floor.

"I bought a new bed, it's bigger," Kate grinned and kissed him again.

"Who was at the…" Jim walked into the living room. "SON! Come in, come in." He was glad to see him again.

His ship getting torpedoed was behind them and he was so far uninjured. "Put that bag in the bedroom unless it's full of dirty clothes. In that case you know where the washer is."

"I just started dinner. Now I can make it for three." She would make dinner for twelve if it included Rick.

Rick knew how to do his own laundry so he emptied his bag in Kate's room, separated the clean clothes out, then carried the rest into the basement where he stuffed it into the wringer washer and started it. He was glad there were clotheslines strung down there. Otherwise his clothes would get cold and hard from hanging outside since it was freezing outside.

Rick saw Jim was in the living room watching the news and Kate was in the kitchen. So he stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She moaned and leaned back into him. "The war might be over soon. Germany's running out of territory and soldiers," Rick said and didn't let go of her.

"We've heard. How much longer do you have?" She meant in the Navy.

"Just over a year. When it's over and we don't need to escort convoys I don't know what's going to happen. Canada isn't involved with the war in the Pacific that much." He seriously doubted he would be transferred there.

Kate didn't dare hope that they would discharge him before his three years were up so she skipped that. "Any ideas on what they'll do with you? Or the others?" There were a lot of people involved in the war. If there was no one to fight, what did that leave them to do?

"No clue, though I'm sure they'll think of something. I'm sorry I missed another Christmas, love." His luck at getting Christmas off while in Halifax was holding. Meaning it sucked big time.

"It's okay. Did you get my Christmas presents?" He should have since he got all the others.

"I did, thank you very much. I was hoping to take a very special gift back to the ship with me," Rick remarked.

That had Kate smiling widely. "I'll go shopping for more panties, cellophane bags and more tape. I take it that it's working." He kept asking for them.

"Perfectly and I'm not sure what I'd do without them. I'll even help you get them wet this time." Rick squeezed her in a hug.

"I can't wait." She would have to at least wait until she had everything first. "You can go set the table, I'll be done soon."

Rick kissed her head and went in search of plates, glasses, and silverware for three.

"Finding anything?" Rick asked Jim just as he turned off the TV which told him no. As he watched, Jim got up and turned on the radio.

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"How is everything here? Anything exciting happening?" Rick was behind by almost two weeks just like Kate was.

"Same old, same old for me. Being a lawyer isn't really all that exciting most times." Jim's job paid relatively well but it wasn't all that exciting.

"Nothing for me, either. I sew what I'm told, get what I design rejected constantly, and come home to do more designing. I'm starting to wonder if my dream of being a designer is ever going to work out." Kate was a little dejected. She didn't expect to become a household name overnight but being rejected all the time was disheartening.

Rick reached for one of her hands. "I have faith. Maybe where you're working is the problem. Maybe they don't want designers."

Kate thought about it. They didn't even really look at what she drew before rejecting her ideas. "Maybe." It was a nice enough job and they needed the money, though.

"Are you still planning on leaving the Navy when your three years are up?" Jim inquired, wondering if his time in the Navy had changed his mind.

Kate immediately felt her fears rise. Then she heard his response. "Definitely. I'm not a career man. Besides if I'm trying to get Kate to reach for her dreams, why shouldn't I?"

Jim was happy to hear it. Not just for his daughter's sake since he knew she hated him being in the Navy or any military, but he was happy to hear it as well. "Which is?" He knew Rick had been a lighthouse keeper and now was in the military. So just what did he want to do?

"I want to make it as a popular writer that everyone wants to read. I hear you can make good money and I like writing. Using my imagination to create a story that people who read it can fall into and get lost in. Lose track of time." He had dreams, too.

"Have you finished that one you started on the island? The one with that little girl. That one was interesting." It was really different and she wasn't sure it was her cup of tea, but if Rick liked it so would she.

"I finished that long ago. I'm working on something new now that I like even better." He liked that story but thought this story might be even better.

"Does it have a name yet?" Jim was curious.

"Yes, I'm calling it _Tomorrowland_. It's about a secret city that's in hiding that has things that are far into the future. Buildings that are incredibly tall made out of glass and steel. Trains that fly, swimming pools that are in glass balls that float in the air. Even these packs that you can put on your back and fly around the city with. And you wear your phone on your wrist. I'm still trying to dream up things that you can do there." He was going to try and make it crime free, but maybe he needed for there to be some action, so perhaps not.

"I've still got a long ways to go. I need for there to be some action or the readers will get bored. I'm still working on that." Then suddenly he had an idea. "I need some paper and a pencil. …Now! I have an idea and I don't want to forget it," he said excitedly.

Kate got up to get him some of her paper and gave him one of her pencils.

"Thanks." Rick quit eating and began writing. It allowed Jim and Kate see what he was doing. For Kate it looked familiar.

"I've seen him do this before on the island. He gets lost in what he's doing. I stood over him, yelling at him, and he ignored me. Pissed me off at first," Kate related to her dad as they continued to watch.

Jim and Kate were done eating. Kate had picked up everything and had even taken Rick's so she could put it on the range to keep it warm for him when he was done. "This is weird," Jim whispered to Kate as both of them sat in the living room watching Rick write.

"It takes some getting used to." She had high hopes that she would see this a lot in the future.

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Kate was completely satisfied. Her bed was bigger but she was still mostly laying on Rick as she rested from her last orgasm. Looking over at Rick who was looking right at her she could see his little box. It contained another pair of soaking wet panties and like the others it was all wrapped up as airtight as she could get it. True to his word Rick had helped her get it soaking wet and had even helped her wrap it for him.

Rick smiled at her which gained her attention. "You're thinking too hard."

"Just wondering what's in our future." She had dreams about her future again. Rick had given them back to her which caused her to love him even more.

"Short term is you driving me to the train station shortly. Long term? That's up to us. Though I can think of one thing." Rick looked at her and saw a question written all over her face. "Getting married. Here, there, somewhere." That had Kate smiling and she leaned into him so she could kiss him.

"I want nothing more than to marry you. Just so long as Dad's there to see it and maybe a few friends. Lanie tried to talk me out of marrying Josh but I didn't listen." Then Kate had a look of shock on her face. "I haven't even told her about you yet! She's going to be surprised and so pissed at me. She's going to remove my ass for this." Kate was in really big trouble.

"We can invite her to the wedding." Rick wanted all of her friends there for it.

"If I don't she'll kill me. That or you're going to have to love me with a flat ass," Kate chuckled softly.

"That won't be a problem." Rick kissed her.

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It was late May,1945, and everyone seemingly everywhere knew that the Germans had officially surrendered. But Rick and his ship just kept on doing what they'd been doing. There were still convoys and they still escorted them to and from the UK.

It had become almost boring for most. Just not for Rick. He and his team were down in the engine room doing everything they could to keep those engines running smoothly. It was their job and they intended on being damn good at it.

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They had completed a run from Halifax to Liverpool and were docked and waiting for some much wanted shore leave, to have a good time and drink some beer. Then suddenly there was an announcement.

_All hands, __all hands,__ this is the Captain_

_The HMS Loch Morlich is to be decommissioned and returned to the UK come June 1, 1945. As a result all of us can anticipate being reassigned to new duties at or before that time. We will distribute those orders when we receive them._

_You have all done an excellent job and I commend all of you for what you have done for Canada and our Allies. I regret to inform you that until your transfer orders have been received all shore leaves are canceled._

_Captain out._

Rick instantly heard a whole lot of cursing which included him since he wanted to get off the ship so he could send his letters and even maybe buy something and have it shipped to Kate.

"This means no beer, doesn't it?" Rick asked the guy next to him who looked more pissed off than he did. "So what are they going to do with us now? The war's officially over so what comes next?" Rick questioned the same guy who naturally didn't have an answer.

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There were three of them and Rick had seen and even talked to both of them a little before now. They were at least all from the same ship, just not from the same sections.

"They're joking right?" Raider questioned as they looked it over. The three of them stood on the dock next to their new assigned boat – BOAT, not ship.

"I don't think so," Kidd replied.

Each of them were in their standard Canadian uniforms. They each had a canteen, some food, a pistol in a holster as well as a standard issued rifle.

Rick reiterated their orders. "They expect us to patrol the river Seine and its tributaries in our assigned quadrant looking for Germans or French sympathizers. My main question is what do we do if we find any? There are three of us and this thing only has room for four. If we're lucky." They were also wearing life vests that made them look fatter and bulked them up so they each took up more space.

"I can keep the engines running easily enough, so who drives?" Rick looked at the other two.

"I'll start," Kidd offered since it meant he at least got to sit down all the time. The other two would be expected to use their binoculars, searching the river bank as they went and do the shooting.

"Let's get started then. First off I suppose is to see if we have the fuel to even start the thing." Rick got in back. He didn't fail to notice that someone had at least put a Canadian flag on the aft deck so that it would show proudly everywhere they went.

Kidd went next and got behind the massive wheel to do the steering and control the throttle. Raider got in next to Kidd after untying them from the dock. It started right up and had a nice low rumble to it. Rick smiled since it sounded like this thing might be fast if they needed it to or just wanted to.

"Who's Gar Wood?" Kidd inquired and pointed to the emblem that was near him. The other two shrugged; they had no idea.

"It kind of fits, though, this thing looks to be made entirely of wood," Rick pointed out as he twisted to look behind him and search for the access panel to the engine bay before they left the dock.

Kidd kept it slow until they left the dock area and got out into the river. "I'm going to find out what this baby can do before it breaks down on us," Kidd warned them both and began adding throttle. Soon they were zooming down the river leaving an impressive wake behind them.

"We're not going to see a thing at this speed," Raider yelled over the noise of the engine, getting Kidd to slow way down.

"I like it!" Kidd was pretty pleased with their new assignment.

"Until it rains," Raider commented morosely, dampening the mood considerably.

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"Mail." Jim dropped the bundle of mail on the kitchen counter since Kate was in the kitchen. As expected she abandoned what she was doing in favor of reading what Rick sent her. She organized them according to numbers then ripped open the first one. The war was officially over and all of Canada was still celebrating much like the rest of the world with just a few exceptions.

What Kate and even Jim wanted to know was what Rick was doing now. "Rick says his ship has been decommissioned and returned to the UK. He's presently still on the ship, waiting for his next assignment. He says he has no clue what it will be or even where." Kate kept reading but didn't really learn anything new so she opened the next one.

"DAD! Rick's in France, in Paris!" Kate couldn't believe it. Jim joined her at the table.

"He says his job is to patrol the river Seine in Paris looking for any Germans that were left behind or escaped being captured and keep the waterway open. He talks about being in an open boat all made of wood. Something about being made by Gar Wood, whoever that is.

"It has no weapons and is a civilian boat. The only weapons they have are the sidearms they carry and a rifle. He says it's very fast and very loud. So far they just go up and down the river then retreat to a house that's been assigned to them. They have to clean up after themselves, cook their own food, and do their own laundry. They write up a report and send it in. Rick says there are others just like them but they haven't seen any of them yet." Kate put that letter aside and opened the next one.

"Uh-oh! He says it rained today and they got soaked to the bone out on their little boat, looking for Germans. He talks about it being a miserable experience and if the Germans knew what was good for them, they would turn themselves in to prevent either freezing to death, catching a cold, or getting pneumonia." Reading that had Kate smiling at his sense of humor.

"He wishes the war really was over and his tour was over. That he misses me." Kate felt tears well up since she missed him something fierce.

Kate opened the next letter. "It's been more of the same old, same old. They get in their boat, go up and down the river, then go into any of the tributaries until they reach the end and turn around and go back. Afterwards they go home and cook and clean.

"He wishes I was there to do the cooking. None of the three of them are really any good at it." Both she and her dad were smiling since Jim was glad Katie had paid attention to his wife when she taught her how to cook.

Kate opened letter number 4. "Rick says it's more of the same. It's pretty and they're in Paris but it's boring. He's questioning if there really are any Germans anywhere near them, let alone in Paris.

"He says they're having trouble since food supplies aren't as regular as they were on the ship. Fresh food has turned into something of a luxury as has the meat.

"He talks about the people in Paris hating the Germans more than he thought possible. Apparently the Germans stole everything in Paris that was worth stealing. The museums are empty of almost everything.

He says that when they get a day off once a week that they go into the city. He's seen but hasn't been allowed to go up the Eiffel Tower." Suddenly Kate wished she was there. Sadly getting to Europe as a civilian was still quite difficult. It involved a trip by ship and took time.

Kate opened the last letter and started reading and felt her breath leave her. Jim noticed and reached out to hold her hand. Wide-eyed, she glanced up at her father. "Daddy, he wants to know if I want to get married in Paris. He says he has met a boat captain that has an old luxury boat that can hold a good number of people. He cruises the river Seine and we can get married at night under the light of Paris." Kate put the letter down, put her free hand to her mouth, and felt her tears starting. She just wanted to get married to him. Getting married in Paris had never even occurred to her. It sounded magical to her.

"When is he out of the Navy?" Jim hadn't been keeping track and was betting his daughter knew to the day.

"Huh?" Kate hadn't been listening. "When…? Oh, nine months and four days."

"It's late August now so nine months from now would be May of 1946. Paris in May might be nice. We can start looking into how to get there and where to stay." They just needed to do the work.

Kate smiled through her tears and began dreaming about being married to Rick in Paris. She even started to question if they could stay and live there. She began shaking her head.

"What, Katie?" He could tell she was thinking of something.

"It's stupid. I was wondering if we could stay after getting married, but my French sucks." Kate started to shoot that idea down.

Jim had an answer for that, though. "French lessons." Surprised, Kate stared at him and wondered if that would actually work.


	23. Chapter 23

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 23_

What they had done and were presently doing was a major risk. Jim still wasn't sure how his daughter had talked him into it. However, there they were on the coast of France and headed for a way to reach Paris which was where Rick would be waiting for them.

They both had spent six months taking French language classes. They still mostly sucked at the language, especially writing it, but they had actually gotten better.

Jim had sold the townhouse, the car, and all of their furniture, including Kate's brand new bed. All they really had was what was in their respective suitcases. They each had two and one carry-on that Kate was also using as her purse.

Just getting this far had been a challenge. Rick had found out from other Canadian military personnel that there was a group that was working on getting Canadian military personnel's families to Canada. They had come there single, married a woman in England, and had from zero to one or more children. Naturally the ship that brought them to Canada had to turn around and go back to get the next group. All Jim and Kate had to do was take that ship to England. Then another ship across the English Channel.

It had taken letter after letter to coordinate it all. Just as Jim and Kate were reaching the French coast, Rick was being discharged from the Navy and as requested he was being left to his own devices.

He had found a woman who had lost her husband and her son in the war. She still had a large house as well as a sizable garden and animals. In exchange for work on the house and everything else, he was getting free room and board. With his help she should be back on her feet in a few weeks.

He also had a car. It wasn't much of a car and he'd already spent several hours fixing it after finding the parts he needed. When he wasn't on patrol in the boat with the others he was working on his car. His actual first day helping the lady with her estate started today. Rick had already told her that his fiancée and her father would be joining him. She quickly said yes since it meant she would have three people helping her for basically no cost. She wasn't expected to feed his fiancée and her father but she would allow them to use her kitchen and dining room and most of her house.

Rick parked his car that was actually dependable now, went inside, and found her right away. "Richard, have your friends arrived?" That he had managed to fix that disaster that he had purchased told her a lot.

"Not yet. They should only just be making it to the coast about now. It will be several more hours. You're sure you don't mind, Marié?" Rick wanted to make sure.

"With your help and the help of your friends I get to keep my home. I do, however, expect an invitation to the wedding." She loved weddings and she had been told everything Rick had accomplished so far. She approved and had even helped him as much as possible.

Rick smiled. "I will deliver it personally. If you'll excuse me I have work to do before they arrive." He bowed a little and left her to start his work.

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"Now what, Dad?" They had arrived, gathered their suitcases and left the train, and were now standing in the station watching everyone else walking deeper into the station.

"Follow everyone else, I guess." Neither of them saw Rick so walking loaded down with suitcases it was.

Her bags were heavy and she had one in each hand so she was forced to stop and give her hands a rest. They were in the station but not really out of it yet. After about a 15 minute break Kate got up and picked up her bags to continue on.

Finally they were actually outside. Wearily they both dropped their bags and looked around. There were people everywhere and there were cars lined up almost farther than they could see. Just about then they heard a really loud whistle that had them looking. They both saw Rick behind a car that was double parked, jumping up and down and waving his arms to get their attention.

"RICK! Let's go, Dad." Kate ignored the pain of carrying her suitcases and took off. They were almost in the same place and wouldn't need to be separated again because of the war. Kate was beside herself with glee.

"Gimme those." Rick took her bags and got busy putting them into the car.

"Hi, son." Jim was happy to see him as well. He let Rick who was younger and more fit lift his heavy bags and put them in the car.

"Get in." He had cars behind him honking and people yelling at him. Kate took the front seat with her personal bag since there was no other space to put it while Jim took what was left of the back seat.

Rick gunned it and took off. Kate was sure they were going to wreck but somehow Rick missed everyone. There really weren't any lines in the road. People just went wherever they wanted.

"How was the trip?" Rick asked them, certain that it had been tiring.

"Long, exhausting, and difficult." Jim was flexing his hands to get the blood flow again. He didn't see Kate doing the same.

"It was worth it," Kate told him. "Where are we going, babe?" His last letter hadn't said much about where they would be staying or what it would cost them.

"I met a widow who lost her husband and her son to the war. She has a nice big house outside Paris and a lot of land. The Germans occupied it and stole nearly everything. In exchange for free rooms we're going to help her put her estate back together. It's going to mean a lot of work for all of us. I only just started this morning and the Germans did a heck of a lot of damage. We'll have to feed you both but we get to use almost the entire house. She has bedrooms and beds for us." Rick warned them, "Once we unpack we need to go shopping for groceries for you."

"What _is_ this thing?" Jim meant the car.

"Cute, isn't it? It was practically free and didn't run. I've spent weeks fixing it. When I wasn't on patrol on the river I was out looking for parts and working on it. Mechanically it works perfectly now. It could use a new set of tires, shocks and seats, but it runs.

"It's a 1945 Citroen 15 light. I think the Germans stole it, used it, abused it, then wrecked it before they left Paris. I haven't had time to fix the seats, or the dash, or the ceiling. It also has a few dents and scratches but the engine is basically rebuilt. Buying it cost me almost nothing save for having it towed from the guy I bought it from and the parts to fix it." He kind of liked it. Mostly because he had put a lot of work into it.

"Well I'm just glad to be here." Kate wanted to lean across and kiss him but he was driving so she shut up and just watched where they were going. Three years had been hard on her but she was finally here beside him.

Remaining silent allowed both of them to see some of Paris until Rick left it and went out into the countryside. Neither of them saw the Eiffel Tower or really anything else exciting. He pointed to a building in the distance. "We're going there."

Kate wasn't sure it was a house or more of a mansion. It clearly had two floors, lots of really tall windows, most of which looked to be boarded up. The closer they got the more she saw what looked like bullet holes and the roof was clearly damaged. She was thinking Rick was understating just how much work needed to be done.

They watched as Rick drove up to the building and stopped at what was clearly the front door. Kate saw the front door open and out walked a woman who was about her dad's age at least. "She speaks a little English which is a good thing since I speak almost no French," Rick said.

Rick got out as did Kate and Jim. Rick proceeded to make the introductions. "Marié Compere, this is Katherine Beckett and her father, Jim Beckett. This is our host, Marié Compere."

Kate stepped up. "C'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer." _(__It's a p__leasure to meet you.) _Marié smiled broadly at her French that told her she didn't speak it but it was nice of her to try.

"I am happy to meet Richard's love." Marié took her in hand and kissed her cheeks softly. "You are the father." She looked him over. He was handsome enough, thin, and just a little gray. He was about her age. "I am sorry for your loss. Richard tells me of your wife. I lost my husband and son to the Germans." She hated the Germans more than she could begin to express for what they had done. Not just to her personally but to her country.

Marié took him in hand and kissed his cheeks. "Please show you rooms." They needed to settle in.

"Grab your bags." Rick took one of Kate's and one of Jim's and followed Marié inside.

They went up a flight of stairs that was just inside the door. "Your room." She looked at Kate who went inside. Kate immediately noticed that some of Rick's things were in this room. She dropped her bag and looked around. It was damaged and a little dirty. Still she could see the beauty of the room under it. It just needed a little work to make it lovely again.

"Your room." Marié looked at Jim and he went inside.

Like the peek he had of Kate's room, this room looked very similar. It was damaged and a little dirty. Nothing that a little work couldn't fix.

"Water closet on this floor. My room." She simply pointed but didn't open the door. "I will leave you." She expected them to settle in and would see them again for dinner.

Jim found the closet was tiny and the dresser while it had once been nice was now a bit of a mess. Still it was nice enough. With his bags on the bed he started unpacking.

Kate had help. "She seems nice. She's obviously hurting."

"Marié is a very sweet lady. She suffered under the hammer of the Germans. She could really use our help. In addition she's always lived here so she knows almost everything about Paris that's worth knowing. She also knows people. From her I've gotten a lead on someone who might be able to get all of us French identification cards. We could end up with dual Canadian and French citizenship. If I'm right it means we can get married here and live here if we want. We just have to find a place and I think she can help us with that as well," Rick said while he helped her unpack.

"We just have to help her repair her house and estate." Kate wasn't afraid of the work.

"It'll mean a lot of hard work but I think it'll be worth it in the end." Rick had gotten used to working hard at everything.

Kate gave up unpacking and wrapped her arms around Rick. She finally had him to herself after all this time. "How long has it been since I told you that I love you?" She knew it hadn't been that long but she was more than willing to say it again.

"A while," Rick smiled then kissed the top of her head. "Welcome to Paris, love."

"Can we go see it a few times?" She was here and she wanted to see Paris. It was supposed to be a magical city so she wanted to see it.

"When we're not working I'll be happy to show you and Jim all that I've seen. We can go visit the boat captain and see if you like it for a wedding venue. He's suggesting a night wedding under the lights of Paris down the river Seine," Rick said.

"I'd love to. I can't wait to be married to you." Josh was now a distant and unhappy memory.

They heard Jim clear his throat. Instead of jumping apart they simply kept holding each other and turned to look. "You said something about needing to go grocery shopping if Katie and I were going to eat." The long travel had taken it out of them and they hadn't eaten all that much during the entire trip.

"Then let's get started. We can cook and talk then get started working in the morning." Rick kissed her head again and let go of her so he could drive them to a local produce stand.

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Rick and Jim found themselves on the roof trying to get some work done before it decided to rain. Neither of them were builders but they weren't up here to replace the roof, they just wanted to make a few patches.

Kate was chosen to go around the building and start tagging areas on the exterior using these little flags on wires of areas that needed work. She hadn't even made it all the way around the house yet when she ran out of flags.

"I'm out of flags!" she yelled up at Rick and Jim who were still on the roof just in a different areas.

"Go make some more," Rick yelled down to her and went back to hammering patches.

"Go make some more," Kate muttered to herself in a snippy attitude. Still she headed off to where they had made these so she could make more. "Go make more."

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Rick and Jim were off the roof later in the day after eating lunch and had joined Kate and were looking at the house. "It looks…" Jim wasn't sure what word to use. There were flags sticking out of the building all over the place. Kate had put flags at not just bullet holes, but actually damaged areas that were going to take a lot more work.

Rick put in his 2 cents. "It looks like work to me."

"I ran out of flags again," Kate said, breaking it to them. Which meant with all the flags they saw she still needed to add more. "So what's first?" They had a lot to do and it wasn't going to get done by itself.

"Dinner?" Jim suggested hopefully as Rick and Kate quickly agreed. It was clearly going to take them weeks if not months to finish.

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Rick showed Kate how to make and use stucco one bucket at a time. Her job was to go around to all the bullet holes, fill them in with stucco, then make it look like the rest of the house. They would paint the house later after they were all done.

Rick and Jim commenced removing the damaged window frames around the house, one window at a time. After that they began cutting new boards with a hand saw and nailing up the new pieces.

Kate was on one side of the house and Rick and Jim were on another so that they didn't get in the way of each other. Rick and Jim stopped and looked up at the flags Kate had put up there as well.

"How long is this going to take us?" Jim asked Rick since to him it looked more and more like months.

"We haven't even gotten to fixing the fences yet." It wasn't just the house that needed work in Rick's eyes.

"Are we fixing the drive, too?" Jim questioned since that needed work as well.

"Hadn't planned on it but now that you mention–" Jim interrupted Rick before he could say another word.

"GOOD! I like it with weeds poking out all over." Jim really just wanted Rick to stop. He wasn't that young any more and wasn't used to doing all this work.

Then both of them watched as Marié exited the house; she was carrying a tray with drinks on it. "I made some lemonade for you. Where is Mademoiselle Kate?" It was just these two and she was sure she was out there somewhere.

"On the other side and merci," Rick said as he took a glass.

"Yes, thanks, it's very kind of you." Jim took one of the glasses and downed half of it in one swallow. They watched her walk away in search of Kate. "Okay, she's a nice lady. You did well finding her," Jim relented even if it did mean a mountain of work.

"Technically she found me or maybe her car did. It broke down outside of where we were living and I spent an hour working on it while the other two kept her entertained. She came back to thank us and I got her to tell me where she lived and came out to see her. That was when I saw this." Rick waved his free arm at the house.

It only reinforced for Jim that Rick was the right man for his daughter. He was glad he had come and had let his daughter talk him into this.

Rick smiled softly and even started planning. If he brought in Kate she might fight against it, so he was going to take getting these two together on his own. If it worked Kate would just have to like it. Surely she wanted her father to be happy.

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"Where are we going again?" Kate asked Rick who was driving. They had taken the day off from working on the house they were living in and Rick had something he wanted to show them. So Kate was in the front passenger seat and Jim was in the back. Since they were spending all their time on the house Rick didn't have any time to work on the car. So all of them were sitting on slits in seats that weren't all that comfortable.

"You'll see, we're almost there," Rick told them. When he got there he spotted a place to park so he parallel parked with all the other cars. They all got out and followed him.

He took them over to what looked like a waterway. "This is Canal Saint-Martin though more importantly it's also Jardin du Port Arsenal. This was part of our tour when I was assigned to that little boat looking for Germans. There are still a couple of empty spaces. You can buy a boat and moor it here for a fee, permanently.

"Down there is the river Seine. That side is the 4th district and we're standing in the 11th district. Or maybe the 12th. I haven't gotten used to just how that works yet. Anyway, up that way is the Place de la Bastille and in the 9th district is the Opéra Garnier also known as the Palais Garnier. This area is historic; isn't it beautiful?" Rick needed to sell Kate and Jim on this place then sell them on the next part.

Kate loved the look of the place. It spoke of Paris to her but there was just one thing. "Where's the Eiffel Tower from here?" Being close to a palace was nice, but being close the Eiffel Tower would be better.

It had Rick spinning a little. "That way about 30 minutes to an hour depending on traffic. It's in the 15th district. …I think." He really needed to figure out where all the districts were.

Kate couldn't see it from here which bummed her out a little.

"Why are we looking at this space?" Jim inquired since he had an idea what Rick was thinking. Did he really want them to live on a boat?

Rick began to try and sell them on his idea. "Hear me out. We could buy a house that is or used to be a barge, a little like that one there. Fix it up and live right here. We need to get this space before it's gone, though. We can get the house later."

"You want us to live in that thing?" Kate pointed at a small barge that looked like shit to her.

"Not that particular barge, no. That thing's a piece of crap. But Marié tells me that barges come in all shapes and sizes. A few even have decks on top that can be used as an outdoor patio. We could get planters and plant herbs or just flowers. Install a canopy for when it rains. Plus all of the barges still have engines so we could move it if we wanted." Rick kept trying to sell them on his idea.

"Bigger than that?" Kate pointed at it again. "Is there a space closer to the Eiffel Tower?" She was more willing if they could live there.

"There are spaces but none of them are permanent. If we moved the barge there we would have to get lucky and find a spot where we would fit or come back or move on in the hopes of getting lucky. Or so Marié tells me." He still had a lot to learn about Paris.

"There's one more thing. On our next day off we can go find this guy Marié knows that can get us dual citizenship cards. We'll actually be French after this but still be Canadian." Kate and Jim nodded their agreement.

"Live on a barge, down there?" Jim pointed since he was still stuck on that.

"So long as it doesn't look like that!" Kate indicated the one that was an eyesore. Then a thought hit her. "Does this mean we could get a boat?" If they could do that she was more willing to listen.

"To get around in and park it next to the barge? I don't see why not." Rick hadn't thought about getting a boat. It was an expense he hadn't calculated for.

"Then show us these barges." Kate was willing to look.

"We need to lock down this site today and find a barge that will fit in the space. If we wait until we've found the barge this space might be gone." They needed the mooring first, barge second.

That made Kate groan. She had to make a decision on where they were going to live as a family _now_. Not just that but agree to living on a barge that she hadn't even seen yet.

"Bigger and better than that thing." Kate made a face when she looked at it again. Rick smiled widely. He had gotten Kate to agree. Now they just needed to find a barge, buy it, and move it here.

"I promise." Rick held up his hand. "Become French next week and we can go shopping the week after for a barge."

"And Marié's house?" Jim questioned since they were still nowhere near done.

"Play it by ear." Rick cringed a little since he didn't have a real answer. "We may have to commute between the two places until we're done."

"We can park the car here?" Kate queried.

"If there's an open space, yes." Rick gave her his best _please don't shoot me _look_. _"However, I was thinking that if the barge could handle them we could get scooters and use them to get around." Rick hoped that would help.

"Scooters." Kate had seen a few of them since she'd been there. Not to mention the ones she had seen just to get here. She groaned since this was a big one. "Fine." She loved Rick and was willing to hope for the best.

A heartbeat later Rick picked her up, swung her around, then hugged and kissed her. "It'll be great, you'll see."


	24. Chapter 24

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 24_

They were officially French now. Richard Alexander Rodgers, Katherine Houghton Beckett, and James Ethan Beckett.

The house was coming along and Kate couldn't help but notice that somehow Marié and her dad were spending time together. Or at least always finding each other in the same room. She wasn't really sure how she felt about that but so far nothing was really happening.

Right now all of them, including Marié, were headed to view their first barge as a possible future home. Marié was coming for two reasons. First was that Paris didn't really have real estate agents that would find and sell homes or apartments. It was more about knowing someone or getting lucky. Second was that while Marié's English was better than Rick had told them, their French was limited so Marié was going to be doing all the talking then try and translate everything into English for them.

"First one!" Rick stopped the car and everyone got out. Marié spoke French and got them all onboard for them to look it over. Marié was also their navigator. They were driving into a space Rick didn't even knew existed. So without her they were totally lost.

"This isn't so bad." Kate had been thinking freighter, one a lot more like the ship she had stowed away on. This even from the outside looked more like a house sitting on the water in the shape of a boat.

**Barge number one**

_B__uilt in 1934. Steel hull. One hundred twenty-seven feet and 8 inches long. One __d__iesel engine that produced 185 hp. It was dark gray below with white above and actually had portholes just above the water line. It had space to sleep six people. It was presently located in very souther__n__ Paris._

_Built by __GRAND QUEVILLY. Single shaft__ propeller __with 3 blades. Two thousand four hundred sixty US __g__allons of potable water storage._

_Boatman's cabin totally independ__e__nt and accessible from the wheelhouse. Main living area can be access__ed__ by wheelhouse but is accessible by a large double doors access from the terrace._

_One saloon leading to open huge all equipped galley, with unusual brass working surface and open to either aft saloon or downstairs lounge._

_Access to a corridor leading to the cabins or to the lounge. _

_Under the galley floor, there is an important stockage room, accessible by the lounge sliding wooden doors._

_Forward to the lounge, there is a head and shower on the port side and a utility room and storage room on to the starboard side._

_Lots of space, bright boat. All central heated boat, and a pellet stove in the lounge to add the co__z__y touch._

_Two double bed cabins with ensuite dressing room and a great bathroom at the end of the corridor. One bedroom is currently used as an office but could be transformed into a third cabin if necessary._

_After the bathroom, direct access to the wheelhouse and again access to the aft cabin, boatman's cabin offering a cute and traditional accommodation, with lots of originals features such as the wood panels, the oil fire place stove, marble, wooden floor, decorative doors. Double berth enclosed bed, shower and head and a little saloon. _

_Hot water by 3 electric boilers (150l)._

_H__eating by a__ fuel oil__central heating unit._

_Four burner propane __s__tove._

"What did you think?" Rick asked them since he had a few issues that needed to be resolved.

"That master bedroom and bathroom was…different." Kate wasn't impressed. "And you said that the countertop was brass." She had never heard of such a thing, though she had liked it. "And one tiny refrigerator. We'll be buying food every other day."

"All of the bedrooms were a good size. Yours even had that sitting room with a heater." Jim was happy with what would be his space.

"I suppose there was space for me to set up a sewing room. But why have seating in the kitchen and then that huge dining room on one side and the living room on the other? What about you, babe?" Kate wanted his opinion.

Rick ticked off a few things. "It only has two batteries. The workshop was a single tiny little bench. The engine was okay, I suppose. I'm guessing that they added that board because it vibrates when used. It had a tiny bilge pump. On the plus side it did have a washer."

"Do we have that much money?" Kate was thinking money and this thing wasn't cheap.

"Not really, no. Not and pay mooring fees, buy scooters, and pay to fix it over time." Rick hated to admit it. "I'm also not sure it fits our space."

"Then it's off the list," Kate decided and Marié navigated them to the next one. Marié actually liked it. It was nice and big and typically Parisian in her eyes. Still if they couldn't afford it or have space for it, it was off the list.

**Barge number two**

_Built in 1930, __s__teel hull. One hundred twenty-four feet and 8 inches long. One __d__iesel engine with a single shaft that produced 100 hp with 3 bronze blades._

_It was black with a red stripe down the side and white above._

_Main engine, Baudoin DK4 73,6 KW - 100 CV _

_Central heating by radiators from a diesel-fired boiler _

_Generator 14 KVA _

_Sixteen batteries charged by a __m__ulti charger inverter_

_From the wheelho__u__se we access the boatman__'__s cabin to the rear and the rest of the accommodations via 4 steps down forward. Descending forward we arrive in the main day space of the barge commencing with a kitchen dinner. Next forward is the vast day room including lounge, a more formal dining area, and a study. Central heating is backed up by a Godin solid fuel stove in this room. Forward again to the first cabin with a drawer bed, 184cm x 118cm. Next is the main cabin with double bed, 190cm x 140cm, and a splendid wardrobe crafted with doors from ancient cruise liners. This cruise liner decoration theme continues throughout the vessel to excellent effect. Bathroom with separate heads and a laundry room complete this area before moving on to the deckhand cabin with another drawer bed of 180cm x 131cm. Midships is another access from outside with a stair descending from the starboard sidedeck. On deck is a huge terrace for lounging and or entertaining._

_Four burner propane __s__tove._

"What did you think of this one?" Rick was certain Kate had liked part of it since she had said a lot of WOWs.

"I love that main room. That wood ceiling was to die for. The main bedroom was very nautical. It was enclosed on three sides, elevated a little with drawers under it for clothes.

"And that tub in the bathroom!" Kate hummed since she could just see herself taking a nice hot bath in that thing. "That little room with that beautiful desk that had a radiator behind it, I suppose I could turn that into my sewing room. It had built-in drawers I could use. If we can keep that desk we could move it and you could use it for your writing.

"That kitchen was really small, though, and it only had just the one tiny refrigerator." It was the worst kitchen so far.

Jim offered his thoughts. "I actually like all of it, though Katie's right about the kitchen. It has a very nautical theme throughout. We could modify the kitchen to make it bigger. There was all that mostly empty space to one side. If we took that up the kitchen could be huge."

"Babe?" Kate wanted to hear what he thought.

"The workshop was a lot bigger and it even had shelving. The motor looks like it could use some work. It uses compressed air to start the engine which is different. It has a hydrophore which is interesting. I really like that it has 16 batteries. That's a definite plus. There are 4 cabins and it can sleep 8. It costs less then the first one so i have the money, we can actually afford it and everything we want to do." Rick liked it a lot. "And it'll fit our space. Barely, but it'll fit"

"We keep it on the list?" Kate questioned and saw every head nodding. Even Marié liked it. It was far superior to the previous barge in her eyes.

**Barge number three**

_Built in 1922. One hundred twenty-six __f__eet and 2 inches long. Steel hull. Two __d__iesel engines, single shaft, 4 blade prop__eller__._

_It was black below with no portholes. It was white above with a lot of green pin striping._

_The wheel house is standard and practical for good piloting of a large barge. The main day room is aft and 3 steps down from the wheelhouse and consists of a well equipped galley incorporating an 8 place dining/breakfast table._

_Immediately to stern of the galley is the head with electric toilet and a bath._

_The main accommodation area is accessed by leaving the starboard wheelhouse door to the starboard gunwale and descending through the shared engine room/accommodation hatch and a steel spiral staircase. Turning aft to the engine room, you first pass a vast stock of firewood._

_The living quarters __are__ forward down a corridor and the first room to the left is the master cabin followed by a large furnished, air-conditioned dining room and saloon with a feature fireplace and large wood-burning insert fire._

_Forward there are another 4-single berth cabins and a large storeroom._

_Another double cabin designed as crew's quarters and further space for storage is accessed from the deck th__r__ough hatches on the foredeck area._

_Four burner propane __s__tove._

Rick didn't really need to ask Kate what she thought of it. She had made a face and said, "YUK!" Still she went onboard to look at it.

He asked her anyway. "What do you think?"

"I hate it! It looks a lot like that grain freighter I was on. It's ugly. It only has ONE shower. I hate to admit it but I liked the main room and that dining room with the fireplace. If that table stays it'll seat 10 people and is gorgeous. That kitchen was beyond tiny. There was almost no storage." Kate made a face and shook her head. It was off the list as far as she was concerned.

"I have to agree that the main room was really nice. But except for your bed all of the others were twins in really tight spaces. And that 1 shower for all of us?" Jim shook his head.

"At 126 feet and 4 inches long it's going to be an equal challenge getting it into our space. I loved that engine. It looked brand new and I loved the workspace and the storage. Did you see that pantry, though? It even had a wall of wine storage.

"And it's at a cost that i can afford. But if you don't like it…." Rick saw Kate shaking her head.

"Is there another, Marié?" Rick asked her since she was the navigator.

"Just one I know of. It is different. It isn't a barge," she warned them and they all got back into the car. Rick stopped briefly to fill it with fuel and kept going.

"It's a boat. A real boat," Kate said when she caught sight of their next possible home. At least that was what it looked like to her.

**Barge number four**

_Built in 1936 it was the newest of them so far. Eighty-one feet and 4 inches long. Steel hull. Single __d__iesel engine with a single shaft. At 170 hp it also had the largest engine so far._

_It was a dark purple below with portholes and white above. The owners obviously had kids since there were bicycles hanging off the back._

_Almost 25 meters long on a 4,85 meters beam this design squeezes a maximum from the overall dimensions. Two side doors to enter in the saloon and living room and with two glassed and wood doors on stern which opening onto a huge terrace with table and chairs. The terrace can be covered by a bimini type canvas and 2 steps lower the aft terrace gives access to the engine room. On the side of the rear doors are two lockers for electric sockets, closed with wood doors. Paint on the decks and wood on the terrace. A handrail goes all around the boat for safety. Inside there are 2 levels. The first one for the saloon, the living room and the helm, and is a continuation of the sides decks and the terrace in typical Sedan style. The lower deck level is just 6 steps down from the saloon, and houses the galley, the main owners' cabin, heads, wet room, and the guest cabins. The helm has a central position and is well equipped with navigation instruments. The wheel is from __the__ First World War wreck found in Dunkerque, and proudly refurbished by the owner._

_The engine room accommodates the engine of course, but also the generator, the central heating boiler, many pumps, the hydraulic system, the major part of the electric panels, the hot water heater and a workshop._

_The wheel is hydraulic and has a second back-up hydraulic system to take its place in the event of failure. If the hydraulic system is totally out of order, there is a manual wheel and a tiller._

_On the bow, a crane of 2,4 tons, is able to charge a SMART included in this offer. The boat is equipped with 3 spud poles, the system is on board but the poles have been removed._

_Two tanks of 1500 liters each for the diesel _

_One tank of 1400 liters for the red diesel_

"What did you think?" Rick, as usual, wanted to hear their thoughts before adding his own.

"The bedrooms are big if rather plain. I like all the windows. Not sure about one of the showers. The toilet was in the shower. The living room's small. The kitchen's small with a small pantry. Was there a dining room or did I miss it?" Overall it was kind of small to her thinking.

"The bedrooms were good. There's almost no outdoor space. It's either be inside or off the boat. Granted it _is_ a boat and not a barge. But where do we live?" Jim had gotten used to seeing large living areas on the other ships they had seen.

"The owner painted everything in the engine room based on what it was. Fuel was one color, compressed air was another and so on. The workroom was tiny as was the storage area. The engine itself looks to be brand new so I'm guessing he had to replace the old one and painted everything when he got the new one. It's easily small enough to fit our space. We can afford it." Rick points out.

"So on or off the list? Or do we wait for Marié to find us some more to view?" They had seen four today and even Marié had enjoyed the trip.

Kate was shaking her head and so was Jim. Even Marié had a single soft shake of her head. She had warned them and didn't think it was for them.

"I'm thinking the second one. The one with that wood main room. It will just fit our space if we're really careful and we can afford it," Rick said and saw all of their heads nod, including Marié's.

"Let's go then. See what we can buy it for and when we can take possession and move it." Rick was happy to have it. He was thinking it meant work for him, but he was used to that. Besides this time he would be working for himself and his family.

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They found out that all of the furniture wasn't staying but everything else was. That included everything in the workshop and all of the ropes and even the plants. They simply needed to move it after it was empty and get furniture for it.

They even settled on a price on a price in French francs, of course.

They could take possession in a month after the current owners removed what wasn't staying. The owners were getting off the river and moving out into the countryside. So they needed the furniture but not the rest of the stuff.

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Rick handed over the check, signed everything, and showed his new French identification. He was given every key that they had for it. They were the proud owners of the barge they were going to live on.

"Now we need to move it." Rick told Kate and Jim who had attended.

It had 414 gallons of fresh potable water capacity and 616 gallons of diesel divided into three different tanks. Since the owners knew who to contact to get both filled up they shared that information. Rick had both trucks come out and fill all the tanks. He also had a truck come out to pump the dump tank empty and check to make sure the bilge was dry.

Marié drove all of them out a week after the owners had abandoned the barge and watched them sail away. She knew where they were going so she drove there first thing using her car and waited for them to show up.

"We ready to go?" Rick questioned them. "Pulled in the gangplank? Released all the ropes and didn't leave them on the shore?" They were their ropes and shouldn't be left behind. They were going to need them when they reached their new home.

Kate glared at him for asking such a stupid question. Jim, though, was more kind to him. "We're all set. Provided that it will start."

"Don't jinx us, Jim. Or we'll be here until I can fix it." Rick didn't want to hear such things. Even saying such things just might doom them.

Rick pushed the button that activated the compressed air starter and everyone heard the engine roar to life. Now came the fun part. Getting an almost 125 feet long barge that barely moved under its 100 hp diesel engine from here to there.

Rick had picked up maps and had to use them to reach the river Seine. From there he knew exactly where he was going since he'd been up and down a large part of this river for nine months. Though the boat he was on then was a whole lot shorter.

Rick tried to remember that when he made turns they were going to all be really wide turns.

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Marié was smiling when she saw the barge slowly making its way up the canal to their space that was right in front of her. The walls were stone so she was hoping they remembered to put the bumper guards over the side or they would dent the steel hull.

They were there early enough that the space behind them for a barge about their length was empty so Rick came in at an angle very slowly and used the bumpers that Kate and Jim threw over the side to make it to the exact mark at the bow of their assigned space.

Marié was waving and Kate and Jim were waving back as the barge came to rest.

Kate threw her little rope that Marié caught and tied it into place. Then she moved to the other end and caught the little rope that Jim threw and tied it into place.

She watched as all three of them jumped off, leaving the gangplank behind for now. The main rope was too big to just throw. They needed to throw a smaller rope that was easier to toss over then pull on it to get the attached larger rope to shore.

On shore there were mooring locations to tie the rope to. It wasn't actually tied in a knot. There was a cleat that Rick wrapped the rope around in a manner which would prevent it from untying itself and yet allow the boat to still move a little with any waves that come their way.

Marié smiled, pleased that Rick had used the correct technique. It took all of them to make sure the barge was tucked in nice and tight. She joined them and actually helped to put the gangplank in place and secured it with more rope.

"We're home!" Rick raised his arms. "Let's celebrate!" He turned to Marié. "What's a really good restaurant around here? Some place worthy of our celebration?" They all needed to walk the area and get used to it, but that could come later. They followed Marié and got to see the Place de la Bastille as well as the Opéra Garnier. They ended up going around it and to the left. "The Brasserie Bofinger. It is _modérément_ priced." She didn't have an English word for it.

It was on the ground floor of a three story building. It had its name in red on two sides and in the corner of the building it had an even larger set of letters only this time they were in a vertical position. The building itself as were most of the surrounding buildings were white.

Kate picked up the menu. "It's all in French." This was going to present a challenge.

"I can help." Marié considered all of them friends and she was even starting to like Jim a little more.

"No, no. I need to learn." Kate tried to use what French she knew to find something to order.

Rick wasn't bashful or stupid. He turned to Marié. "A little help, please." She smiled as she listened to Kate and even Jim trying their best to read what it said. Even if they were going to need her help. She was more than happy to help Rick. He and his friends were saving her home. For that she would be forever thankful.

Eating here gave Marié a very personal challenge. She had learned from Jim that he had had part of his liver removed. As a result he couldn't have any alcohol. A lot of French food was cooked using wine. Wine was nearly impossible to avoid. She also felt for him. She, like almost all of France, loved wine. Unfortunately the Germans had stolen everything she had. While she hated to do it, she ordered wine for herself and relished drinking it. It helped a little watching Rick and Kate do the same. She selected a fruit drink that contained no alcohol for Jim to drink. In French of course.

She smiled when she saw his eyes light up and his eyebrows shoot up when he taste-tested it. She hadn't taken offense when both Jim and Kate asked her if it contained alcohol. The last thing she wanted to do was send him to a hospital or kill him.


	25. Chapter 25

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 25_

Kate parked her red scooter, got out the chain and the lock, and locked it into place. It was a nice bright red so people couldn't say they didn't see her if they hit her with their car. It came with two seats and with Rick's help she'd added a metal basket to the front end. That basket was currently full of produce that she'd just bought. She took it all out and went down the gangway and onto their barge which was now home.

They were finally connected to city power and even had a telephone. Since the car was there, even if it wasn't parked right next to them, it told her that at least Rick was home.

She headed for the kitchen with her purchases and saw Rick sitting at his desk typing. That was one of the things that had recently been added. Instead of writing on paper with a pencil, he was typing. She could hear every keystroke then listened to him smack the carriage back across when he reached the end of the line of text. She smiled since she'd grown accustomed to seeing him lost to the world when he was writing or typing, in this case. She immediately started cleaning everything she had bought since most of it was going to be part of tonight's dinner.

The kitchen really hadn't met her needs when they bought it. Fortunately there was space to expand and they were presently in the middle of doing just that. Kate was getting more cabinets and more countertop space. Since they had one tiny refrigerator they had purchased two more. One was a small under counter freezer. It still meant going to get groceries every few days. However, to get fresh produce they didn't have to go all that far. Fresh bread was even closer and if the wind was blowing right you could even smell it when out on the upper deck.

Unfortunately, though, the kitchen wasn't going to be finished for a few weeks. It wasn't time to actually start cooking yet so she left the kitchen. "Babe." She knew this wasn't going to be enough. She put her hand on his shoulder. "RICK!" That startled him and had him turning to face her. Just like all the other times he wasn't angry.

"Where's Dad?" He had a tendency when he was here to be up on the top deck looking at Paris. While she liked to do it, too, she preferred to do it at night.

"I drove him to Marié's. She called and asked for his help on something." Rick saw the face Kate made. "Don't do that, Kate. Marié's nice and your father likes her."

"I know." Kate still wasn't sure what she thought of it. She'd caught the two of them kissing once and while she hadn't stopped them, she'd given Rick an earful about what she thought about it.

"They were kissing, babe," Kate had yelled at him.

"And? She's good for him. Do you really want your dad to live his life without anyone save you? Please tell me you aren't that shallow." Rick didn't see the problem.

Kate was all set to ask him if seeing his mother kissing some guy would change his mind. Except she had heard stories from Rick about his mother going through men like some people went through cigarettes, even if she didn't believe them.

"So what's the problem?" Rick wanted to understand, he truly did.

Kate opened her mouth then closed it. "She's not Mom." It was all she had and she knew it was stupid the instant she said it. It was just that she couldn't help it. Her dad was supposed to be married to her mother. But her mother was dead and had been for years.

"Oh, Kate." Rick was very disappointed in her and had walked away from her before they started a fight.

"I'm trying, okay?" Kate said as she blinked back her tears.

Rick argued in Jim's favor. "You really should talk to him and maybe even Marié, for that matter. I don't think she's looking to be your mother or even wants you to call her mother. She might like you to since she lost her son, but you're never going to know if you don't talk to them."

"I know. I just wish… I wish it was Mom instead. I'll talk to him. I swear." She didn't know when but she would. She decided to change the subject since this was a painful one for her.

"When's your mother showing up?" She thought she knew but she had been keeping closer track of her friends coming than his mother.

"Tomorrow. I'll need to go down to the train station to pick her up and bring her here. She gets one of the spare rooms. Your friends are staying with Marié." Then Rick's face lit up as he continued. "Four days later and we get married on a ship traveling up and down the river Seine at night, under the lights of Paris."

It was enough that Kate felt a tear slip down her face. She was getting married again, only this time to a man that she truly loved with all of her heart. Not only that but she was doing it in Paris, France. At night no less. It was a dream come true. Rick had resurrected a lot of her dreams for her.

"Lanie's going to kill me by squeezing me to death." She was sure of it. Her biggest shock was that Lanie was bringing her boyfriend with her. He was a cop. She couldn't believe it. After what she had gone through her best friend up and got involved with a cop.

"I think your side's going to be bigger than mine." Rick had invited everyone he could find from the ship he had served on. That included the little boat he had been in going up and down the river.

"It'll be good to see them again. Most can't make it, but a few will be here." They weren't going to fill the boat to capacity but there would be some. Marié was even bringing one of her friends to the wedding. Her, her husband and their grown children and grandchildren.

"It's going to be fun." Rick was looking forward to it.

Kate corrected him. "It's going to be amazing," she said and leaned down to kiss him.

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Rick was seriously early and had to park the car and walk inside. He didn't know her itinerary entirely, but was hoping there wouldn't be that many trains from the coast so he risked it.

He had been standing at the end of the platform when he finally saw a train slowly making its way toward him. Just getting in touch with his traveling mother had been a challenge. He had sent something to their home and something to the company that his mother usually used to get jobs. One of them had obviously worked even if he didn't know which one.

It helped that her traveling play, _Kiss and Tell,_ had ended and now she was probably back in New York City looking for her next job. So he was betting it was the company that had told his mother.

Seeing his mother getting off the train was easy. For one her red hair stood out from all the other people. For another almost no one but his mother would dress the way she always did when not working. He walked quickly toward her. "Mother!" He was so very happy to see her.

"Richard!" She was really happy to see her son. Martha stopped, dropped her heavy oversized bag, and waited for him.

Rick felt tears and he could hear his mother sniffling. He didn't say anything like he normally would. He was just happy to see her.

Martha let go of him. "Where's Katherine?" She wanted to meet this woman who had stolen her son's heart. She had little doubt that she would be pretty.

"At home. The car isn't all that big and I didn't know how much you would be bringing. Is this it?" It was big and looked heavy.

"Just the one and my purse. I'm not that strong, Richard." Honestly, did he think she had gotten stronger as she got older?

Rick picked it up and grunted from the weight. He had no idea how his mother had even lifted it up let alone gotten this far with it.

"What is this thing?" Martha saw it and it didn't look anything like the cars in the States.

"It's a Citroen, Mother. There are a lot of them over here. It was broken down and in need of repair so I got it cheap. It was just short of free, to be honest, because it needed so much work." Rick opened the passenger door for her and closed it after she was inside. Then he put her big bag in the back seat, hopped in, and drove away from the station.

"Paris!" Martha was smiling. Of all the places her son could decide to live she had to admit that he had found a really good one. Martha had her eyes open and was looking everywhere.

"We have three days until the wedding so we're going to give you a tour. I'm thinking of letting Marié drive you with Kate while I take her friends that will arrive tomorrow and follow her. Marié knows her way around better." Rick had actually asked Marié and she was more than happy to show off her city.

"Marié?" She didn't remember that name in any of his letters.

"Marié's been great. I met her while I was out looking for a car and other things. She lost her husband and son to the Germans and her home needed a lot of work. I volunteered to fix her home in return for free room and board. It's worked out perfectly," Rick explained.

"Germans." Martha shook her head. There had to be thousands of people that were just as affected by them if not more so.

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"Here we are." He didn't get to park next to their home, however he did see Marié's car so he knew she was there which meant Jim would be there, too.

Martha stopped at the gangplank and looked it over. "I know you said you bought a barge to live on. This certainly isn't what I was expecting. This is so much better than a barge." Martha was thinking freighter and that her son and Katherine had lost their minds.

Rick directed her down a set of stairs and into the main room where he was betting everyone would be and he was right. Everyone was quiet but they all got up and smiled at Martha.

"Mother, this is Marié, Kate's father, Jim, and this is Kate. This is my mother, Martha."

Martha instantly knew she was wrong. Kate wasn't pretty, she was gorgeous. "Katherine!" Martha wasn't bashful and never had been. She walked right up to her and hugged her tight. She gave Katherine one of the best motherly hugs she had ever given anyone.

Kate felt it; it was something she hadn't felt in a really long time. Rick hugged her but this was different somehow. She melted into Martha's embrace.

Martha let go of her and turned to hug Jim. "You have a lovely daughter," Martha said into his ear. It was loud enough that everyone heard her and Kate began to blush.

"Thank you. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. How long are you staying?" This was Rick's mother and he wanted to get to know her. See how Rick became who he was now.

"Two weeks," Rick answered.

"_One_ week," Martha answered.

"Mother!?" They had talked about her staying for two weeks.

"I need to get back to start another play. I need to get the jobs while I can." With the war over she feared Broadway was going to change and unless she made a name for herself she might have trouble getting the next play.

"You are Marié." Martha moved to Marié and hugged her then found herself being kissed on both cheeks. "Richard raved about you on the drive here. I'm really sorry for your family. I can't imagine your pain." Martha hugged her again thinking she could use a good sisterly hug.

"Your room while you're here." Rick picked up her bag and started walking. Martha followed him and saw the room where she was going to be staying.

"This is interesting." It looked nautical to her. The bed was amazing and she had a window.

Rick dropped her bag. "We're going to out to eat across the street so you can unpack later, Mother." He took her back to the main room.

Martha took hold of Kate while Marié hooked her arm through Jim's. That left Rick on his own, not that he minded. He needed his mother to approve of Kate.

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Across the street turned out to be just that. Almost directly across from the gangplank. La Seine Café. It had a glass front, tile floors, and wooden tables and chairs. It was very bright and airy.

Martha was interested in hearing Marié's story and soon learned the house had been her grandmother's. Thanks to Rick and his friends she was going to get to keep it.

"I look forward to seeing it." Martha knew her son was talented but she thought that stopped with engines and other mechanical and plumbing things.

"I would be happy to show it to you while you are here. It is…_incroyable."_ She didn't know the English word.

Martha nodded. "Incredible. I'm sure it is." She saw the looks she was getting. "I'm in the theater so of course I know another language. I even know a little Italian." It made her talent more marketable.

It had all of them smiling at her with new information about Martha.

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Marié and Jim left and went to her house while Martha was in her room unpacking.

"One week, huh?" Kate had heard from Rick she was staying two weeks.

"Welcome to my world. Mother's dedicated to her work. She's an actress and it's all she wants to be. She'll take acting jobs until the day she dies. Any job at any pay." Rick knew that from experience.

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Martha woke after having slept like the dead. She blamed that partly on the bed which was very comfortable and the fact that she had been traveling so much to get there.

She had used the shower, gotten dressed, and found the main room. Now that she had time she looked all of it over, including the wood burning stove in one corner. She had noticed the radiators so they didn't really need the stove but still it was nice to have. She looked at the ceiling and was amazed at the wood and just how shiny it was. There was a little furniture, however, the place still looked a little empty. From there she went searching and found the kitchen and Kate who was cooking.

"Good morning, Katherine!" Martha was happy to see her and that she could cook. As she looked around it looked like the kitchen was still undergoing a modification.

"Ignore the mess. The kitchen was a little small and all it had one this one little refrigerator under the counter here." Actually it was still there and being used. "And call me Kate, please."

"Oh, no, you are definitely a Katherine. It sounds elegant and regal, like you were a queen. Katherine the Great!" Martha used her arm to show how grand her name was to her.

"Breakfast will be ready soon. Our only seating is the banquette over there. Once the kitchen remodel is done we're thinking of finding a table to put in here along that wall." Kate pointed behind her. "We're still looking for a lot of things. The previous owner didn't leave anything except what was in the workroom for Rick to use to repair things or just do maintenance. He is amazingly good at it." She had seen what he could do on the island and now here.

Martha started at the beginning. "Richard wrote to me about you, that you stowed away on a freighter to get away from your husband and ended up on my son's little island."

"Josh. I didn't know he was what he was when I married him. I thought he was someone else. Then he changed, yelling and hitting me. It was a nightmare. He was choking me and I found a knife and stabbed him with it then ran away. I literally had almost nothing.

"Rick found out from some of his friends that he was hunting me. He even put out a **W****anted** **for ****M****urder** poster to help find me." Kate broke it down but didn't stop cooking.

"Murder." Martha shook her head. Katherine might kill an ant or a spider, but a person? Never.

"And you can cook." That was a big thing in Martha's eyes. She herself couldn't really cook. They didn't starve when Richard was growing up but she didn't call it cooking.

"Mom taught me. It's almost all I remember of her." Kate was out of tears so it didn't hurt that much anymore.

"I'm sure she's proud of you, Katherine. Richard tells me you're trying to be a clothing designer. Paris is the perfect place to be found and become famous. You'll be great if you just keep at it. It worked for me.

"And where is Richard?" She had yet to see him.

"We have a patio on the roof that we can sit on and look at the Paris lights. We just don't have any chairs so Rick's off getting chairs. He'll be back eventually," Kate explained.

"You have a roof deck!? How do I get there? Is it that little space just at the end of the gangplank?" She wanted to see it now. Kate gave her directions and Martha found herself on the roof though it wasn't technically a roof. The barge had two of those and while it looked like you could walk on them, they weren't set up for that. The view was gorgeous; it was a breathtaking sight of Paris and the canal that they were on. "This is lovely!" Her son and Katherine had chosen well.

"Breakfast is ready," she heard Katherine call. Martha hurried downstairs and eventually found the kitchen again.

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They took the car and began showing Martha parts of Paris. They were both still getting used to getting around so they didn't go too far. They left the big visits like the Eiffel Tower for later while she was there.

Marié and Jim showed up for dinner. Afterward they all went up to the roof, sat down on the new chairs, and took in Paris at night from where they were.

"The river you're getting married on is just out there," Martha indicated with a wave of her hand.

"Yes, while Rick was doing his job on the river he found someone who has a big boat that he uses for river cruises and is willing to combine our wedding with a dinner cruise up and down the river Seine. It should be amazing." Kate could hardly wait.

"And if it rains?" Martha was hoping they had a plan B.

"Then we'll be stuck inside as we go up and down the river." They didn't really have a choice. They were doing this rain or shine.

"I shall have good thoughts for no rain," Martha told them. She couldn't help but notice that Marié and Jim were sitting side by side and touching much like Rick and Kate were doing. She would question her son later about it. Maybe she would be back for another wedding which brought a slight smile to her face. Based on what she had learned so far about those two meant she was happy for both of them.

"I could learn to like this. Now if it was just in New York City it would be heaven," Martha sighed.

This barge wasn't what she was expecting. There was even some room for her future grandchildren. She did start to wonder what these two were doing for money, though.


	26. Chapter 26

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 26_

Rick wasn't sure what to expect but to find out that Kate's best friend before she married Josh was a black woman was a bit of a shock. It wasn't that he hated black people, he didn't. There had been a few black men on his ship and he got along fine with them. It was just unexpected. And then to see that her boyfriend cop was Hispanic was a bit of another shock.

It was 1946 and if you weren't white you were looked down on. Yet here was a Hispanic male that had made it to his position. Rick gave him credit for that. Any decent man would.

Marié had Lanie and Kate while he had his mother, Jim, and Javier Esposito. Everyone wanted to see the Eiffel Tower so that was where they began the tour. No one was allowed to go up it unfortunately. The engineers, they had been told, were still looking it over to make sure it was safe. No one trusted what the Germans might have done to it.

Still everyone had brought cameras and took pictures with them standing in front of it.

They walked the grounds and even stopped at a small place to have lunch. Food immediately after the war had been hard to find. Plus the Germans had stolen damn near everything. Then a story started to get around that the Germans had plans to blow up all of Paris before the Allies could take it back.

Marié told them about what happened after the Germans were forced out. She showed her true French heritage when she showed that what happened to the women that had been accused of being German _collaboration horizontale__s_. They had their heads shaved and were paraded around Paris almost naked. A few were forced into having abortions since they were pregnant by Germans.

"They were _chiennes_ ." She didn't have an English word for it but what she meant was clear.

Next they stopped and got to go into the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris.

They couldn't stop really, but Marié drove them through the Arc de Triomphe several times and went as slow as she dared.

They spent the rest of the day at the Louvre Museum.

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"You sure we can't move here?" Lanie looked at Javi for that question. She was sold and envious of Kate.

"I wish, but my French is limited to saying yes in French. Yours isn't any better," Javi replied. He could wish just as much as she could.

Lanie caught up to Kate who was in the kitchen all alone so it was her first chance to really talk to her. "Hey, girlfriend."

"Hi, Lanie." Kate smiled, overjoyed that her best friend was actually there.

"You're getting married tonight. How are you feeling?" She really didn't want to bring up Josh but it was difficult not to.

"Happy, excited. I can't wait to be married to Rick. I couldn't love him more if I tried." Lanie was sure she was glowing just from talking about it.

"He's not Josh?" Lanie hated making it sound like a question but she had to ask. Her best friend hadn't listened to her last time and she knew almost nothing about Rick.

"No. Rick's different. You've seen him since you've been here." Surely she could see that.

Lanie defended herself. "I'm just trying to protect you. It's my job."

"I appreciate that but you don't have to this time. Rick is special. He's different in a good way." Kate staunchly defended him and her choice of husbands.

"So tell me how you met him again. Your letter was short and sweet. Even if it was a shock telling me that you were marrying him and in Paris of all places." Lanie needed the story before she approved of Rick and this marriage.

Kate spent the next thirty minutes explaining all that had happened since she had stabbed Josh and escaped him, then washed up on Rick's lighthouse island. How she'd fallen in love with him and waited for him to finish his three years in the Canadian Navy. Including her one big scare after his ship had been torpedoed by a German submarine. Then ended up here in Paris.

"Oh, and I've got a lead on a job that I'm going to go check out tomorrow." Kate was really excited about that.

"On your honeymoon?" Lanie didn't approve of that.

"I live in Paris, Lanie. This _is_ my honeymoon. What could be better than this?" There was still a war in the Pacific and everywhere else was still trying to recover from the war. Where was there a place to go for a honeymoon?

"Point taken. I'm happy for you, Kate. You deserve some happiness after what you've been through." Lanie hugged her tight until Kate couldn't breathe.

"Now tell me about Javi. He's a cop, Lanie. Didn't you learn from my mistake or do I have to hurt _you_ ?" She had told her story and now she wanted Lanie's story.

Lanie bristled a bit. "First he's not a cop. He's a Mountie. With the exception of Quebec he polices all of Canada. The RCMP provides law enforcement at the federal level. It also provides provincial policing in eight of Canada's provinces: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Saskatchewan. In addition to local policing on a contract basis in the three territories: the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon. And in more than 150 municipalities and 600 aboriginal communities. Javi is not a cop and not just anyone can be a Mountie."

"A Mountie!" Kate had new appreciation for him. He was heads above what Josh was. In fact Josh and even his boss would have to answer to him. "And how did you two meet?"

"We had a dead body and Javi showed up to claim it. But we couldn't release it until we had completed the autopsy. While he waited he asked me out on a date. Would you believe he was actually nervous." Lanie had thought it was funny and sweet.

Kate teased her friend. "You holding a scalpel and other tools working on dead bodies. Yeah, I can see that."

"Stop! He was sweet. Then he showed up when we didn't have a body for him and asked me out and here we are." There was a lot more to the story but that was the short version.

"So when are you two getting married? Maybe with a little work you can get married with me tonight." Kate grinned since she knew the answer to that.

"Bite your tongue, girlfriend." She was not getting married any time soon. Lanie raised an eyebrow. It was time to fight back. "When am I going to start seeing little ones crawling around this boat?"

"We haven't talked about that." To be honest Kate was a little surprised she wasn't already pregnant. Lord knows they had sex often enough to make a baby. "And you're not going to see any babies crawling around here unless you two move here. What?" Kate saw a look on Lanie's face.

"I asked him about that after that tour you took us on. Javi didn't say yes, but he didn't say no, either." Even if they did this it wasn't going to be tomorrow.

"Seriously!" Kate left what she was doing and hugged her best friend. "I'll get Rick and Marié to help you. What do you need?" Just so long as it wasn't money Kate would do what she could. They had a lot of money going out and no money coming in at the moment.

"Jobs and we have no idea what it takes to be permanent residents here." It was their first stumbling block. If, and that was a big if, Javi agreed to give up his position in the RCMP.

Kate knew just what to do. "I'll get Rick to work on getting you two dual citizenship papers just like us and I can ask Marié about jobs for both of you. I'm pretty sure she's helping my dad get a job." Her dad getting a job here was a really big task. Canadian law wasn't French law.

"How are you with Jim being involved with Marié?" Lanie knew Kate well and she was betting Kate hated it, at least at first.

"I'm getting better." Kate saw the look Lanie was giving her. "I am, so don't look at me like that." Kate was ready to swat her for the look she was getting.

"Uh-huh." Lanie wasn't buying it. "You're about to have a husband and maybe eventually a family. Do you really want your father to live his life all alone? He came here with you so what did you think was going to happen? He was just going to live with you here and get old?" Lanie wasn't backing down and never had before.

"No! Of course not. I know that, I do." Kate saw the look Lanie was still giving her. "I can't help it, Lanie. It should be Mom and not someone else. I know my mom's gone and not coming back. It's stupid and Rick's been on my case, too. I just can't help it." She liked Marié; she was a nice lady and had been very kind and helpful to them. Kate was still working up the courage to talk to her dad about it, let alone Marié.

Then Lanie had an idea. "I'm going to go get Rick, Javi, Martha, and Marié and we're going to go walk around Paris. You, my friend, are going to go find your father and talk to him. Do _not_ screw this up for him, Kate. He deserves to be just as happy as you are. If I find out that you haven't come to your senses I'll never talk to you again. Give me a few minutes and then go find your dad."

"Lanie." Kate began shaking her head.

"You're doing this, Kate. Now screw up that courage and talk to your dad. Don't be one of those women. You're better than that. If I have to I'll talk Rick into putting you over his knee." Lanie threatened. "On second thought you might like that."

"LANIE!" She was not into S&M and was pretty sure Rick wasn't either.

"You have 10 minutes." Lanie stabbed a finger at her and left her to go get the others.

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Kate couldn't hide her wedding dress this time. She had to put it on and then drive with her future husband with him and the others down to the ship. She blushed as Rick looked her over. She'd gotten lucky with it. It wasn't the wedding dress of her dreams, but it hadn't cost her an arm and a leg, either. Especially when they were spending money and not earning any yet.

She got to see Rick in a suit and she had to admit that he cleaned up very nicely.

It turned out they were the last to arrive and the boat left the dock immediately after.

Kate had a number of shocks as she walked around with Rick.

"KIDD!" Rick was happy to see him; he saluted him and then shook his hand. "Kate, this is Reggie Kidd. He was one of the three of us on our little boat going up and down the river Seine."

"A little different today." They were still on the same river, just on a different boat and without any weapons, looking for Germans.

Rick's eyes shot open. "Captain!" Rick stood at attention and saluted him only to see him reach out a hand to shake his.

"This is Captain Beebe of the HMS Loch Morlich. Thank you for coming, sir." He couldn't believe he was actually here.

"A pleasure to meet you, Captain." Kate shook his hand with pleasure.

"Rodgers, here, and his team are why we made it to dock after taking that torpedo." He had put him in for a promotion after that. "My wife, Lucile."

"It's a pleasure to meet both of you." Lucile teased her husband. "I had to twist my husband's arm to come. I wasn't going to pass up a trip to Paris. Who knows when I'll get the chance again."

He leaned in and whispered just loud enough for his wife to hear him. "She barely touched me! I was happy to come."

Kate was introduced to three more men from his ship and then they were stopped by a couple that neither of them had seen before.

"I learned from a friend about your wedding and I just had to come. I'm Jeff Greenway. I was Josh Davidson's captain," he revealed. That had Kate clapping a hand over her mouth and taking hold of Rick a little tighter.

"I am sincerely sorry for what Josh did to you. The second I found out he had issued a warrant for you as a murder suspect I had him suspended pending a review. That review got him fired. I was utterly stunned by what he did next." He couldn't apologize more for what Josh had done while on his watch.

"He took a hostage," Rick commented.

"Yes. The captain in charge of that event wanted you to be brought to the site and I'm convinced he thought that if he just handed you over to him that that would be the end of it. He was never going to make it that far though. I would have filed a formal complaint, made sure he had his badge removed, and was suspended. He wasn't handing you over to Josh. Not while I was around." He didn't know what Josh had done but he had an imagination.

The woman next to him spoke for the first time. "We're really sorry."

"My wife, Anna, and this is our son, Roger." He pointed out a boy that looked to be maybe 8 or 9 years old.

"We couldn't come to Paris without meeting you two. We're both really happy that you have found someone." Anna was happy for Kate. What her husband had talked about had chilled her to the bone and she felt for Kate. "We're looking forward to your wedding. A river dinner cruise in Paris. It's a dream." She wished it had been possible when they had gotten married.

After that Sylvia Anderson, Kate's friend who had helped her escape from Josh, walked over to the couple. Kate was overjoyed to see her friend. She proceeded to introduce her to Rick and told him what Sylvia had done to help her.

"After everything I just couldn't miss your wedding, Kate! I'm so very happy for you, honey."

She gave Kate a big hug and smiled at Rick. "You take good care of her, young man. She's one of the good ones." Beaming, she stepped away from the couple so they could mingle with their other guests.

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They had traveled for a little while and everyone had access to snacks and drinks until the actual wedding. When the bell started ringing it got everyone's attention and Rick and Kate were at the front holding each other's hands.

The group was a little small for a boat this big since it was capable of handling a few hundred and they didn't even have 50. So there was a lot of room to do as they pleased.

It wasn't a Canadian wedding, it was a French wedding so it was different. Still it was a valid wedding.

"Someone was looking over me that day I washed up on your island. They didn't help me fall in love with you. I didn't need any help for that. I love you more than words could ever say. I so very much want to be your wife and be with you till death do us part," Kate said to Rick and wiped her tears.

"I was satisfied with my life and never knew just how empty it was until you filled it. My love for you is so strong that nothing will ever come between us. I want us to be together till death do us part," Rick told her and watched Kate smile at him.

The ceremony was complete and they were kissing as everyone was clapping.

"Where are the grandchildren?" Martha called out.

"MOTHER!" Rick wasn't sure he believed his own mother. Though it did make everyone laugh.

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Everyone was sitting down to eat dinner and it was just starting to be served when the skies opened up. "Guess that takes care of viewing Paris on the roof deck." They were all trapped below deck for now.

It was the only thing that didn't work out perfectly if you didn't count everyone running for cars or anywhere out of the rain after the cruise was over.

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Everyone was gone and Kate already missed her best friend. Thanks to Marié, Lanie had a lead on a job. But she couldn't help Javi. He was basically on his own. She had no leads on what he could do. She knew no one in law enforcement that could help him.

The rest of their friends were glad to have come to Paris, however none of them had any plans to move there. Even Rick's mother was gone and Kate was finding that she missed having her around.

It turned out that everyone was right. Marié didn't want to be called mother by Kate. She just wanted to spend her time with her father. What happened, happened.

Right now, though, she was racing home on her scooter and doing some really stupid things to get there as fast as possible. She was weaving in and around cars and even buses like they didn't exist.

She barely remembered to lock it in place before racing down the gangplank. She had news and couldn't wait to share it with Rick.

"RICK!" Kate yelled the second she got the door open. "BABE!" He was there since the car was there. They only had the car and the scooter.

She searched the entire barge until she heard water running. She hurried to one of the bathrooms. She found Rick in the shower with his back to her. That had her smiling as she now had an opportunity to look him over. She had to admit that he looked really good. All that work he did on the lighthouse, and even here on the barge, let alone all that time in the military had given him muscles. Plus his ass was nice and tight.

"BABY!" Kate yelled so he could hear her over the sound of the shower. He turned and now she had a clear view of the front of him. She couldn't help it and her eyes fell on his cock. Damn but he was good-looking. While she had news she had a new idea on just how to tell him.

"DON'T MOVE!" Kate began stripping and didn't see Rick grinning as his wife stripped in front of him. The shower wasn't really big enough to hold both of them but if she squeezed in nice and tight it would work.

A naked Kate soon wrapped her arms around Rick and got wet. "What've you got in mind, pretty lady?" They really couldn't do anything in this shower save for standing there and getting wet. Plus their showers needed to be fast given that their storage capacity was limited and money was starting to get really tight.

"I have news." Kate smiled and lifted up on her toes to kiss him quickly. "I got a job." She was the first to actually find a job between the two of them.

"Really! Tell me more." This was great news.

"I met Lucien Lelong and he liked my designs so he gave me a job. It's a junior designer job but it's a job and it's a start. I found him at Le Petit Théâtre de la Mode. He's trying to make sure that Paris is the number one place for fashion after the war. He thinks it can be done and I get to be a part of it." Kate still almost couldn't believe it. It had just been a dream before she had even married Josh. Now it was a reality and she had Rick to partially thank for it.

"That's great! What should we do to celebrate?" It was definitely time to celebrate. Kate was making them money and now he just needed to find someone that liked his book. _Tomorrowland_ was done and he loved it. He thought it was his best work yet.

"I have an idea." Kate was a little bashful about bringing this up. They hadn't talked about this and she didn't know what he was going to think.

"I want a baby. Can we make a baby?" Kate looked up at him with hope filling her eyes. She didn't even want to have sex with Josh toward the end, let alone have a baby with him. Now she wanted a family. Her life had been reborn thanks to Rick. He was everything to her.

He didn't answer her unless kissing her deeply was the answer she was looking for.


	27. Chapter 27

**Lighthouse**

_Chapter 27_

Kate raced down the gangplank with today's mail in hand. She was smiling all the way. "RICK!" She needed to find him and get him to open his letter. "BABE!" He wasn't in the main area where she had left him so she went to their bedroom.

"RICK!" She came up short when she saw him sitting there with a bottle in one hand and their son in the other. "Sorry." She spoke much more softly. Problem was he was busy feeding their son so didn't have an empty hand to open his letter.

She showed him what was in her hand. "You got a letter. It's from the publishing company."

"Open it." She didn't need his approval to open mail addressed to him, they were married after all.

"Right." Kate ripped it open since she wanted to know what it said worse than he did.

"Mr. Rodgers." Kate smiled since her last name was now Rodgers and it felt pretty good.

_We are pleased to announce that your book __**Tomorrowland**__ has__, __as of this date__,__ exceeded the sales as part of our contract. As stipulated in the contract the money gained from the increased sales will increase the amount of money you earn. Based on present sales we anticipate that it will increase to the point that it will automatically activate the next clause in our contract._

_We look forward to your next book and expect for it to meet or exceed the sales of your present book. As per our contract we will look to see your next book in our offices no later th__a__n August 1, 1947. We want to be able to get the book out in time for Christmas sales._

_Congratulations, we look forward to our continued success. We await your response to the activation of the clause that was created from these sales numbers._

_Included is the advance for your next book as per the terms of our contract._

_In best regards,_

_President, Abe Books_

_Russell Janney_

That had Kate looking through the envelope and pulled out a check.

"BABE! The check is for $11,022.60 in US dollars." Rick was making more than she did at this point in time.

They both knew that initially the money the author earned in royalties was set against the money the author had already received as an advance. If at some point the amount earned in royalties exceeded the amount paid as an advance then the author started to get paid more. This was called earning out. Most books didn't earn out.

His book _Tomorrowland_ would now start earning him royalties. However, his contract stipulated that if it sold a certain amount he would receive a fraction of these royalties. In addition if he met the next tier of sales they would automatically publish his next book and send him an advance for it.

"Say that again." Rick wasn't sure he had heard the amount correctly.

"The check is for $11,022.60 in US dollars. That's almost twice the amount for your first book." They were rich. "What was the name of your next book?" She had forgotten.

"Hmm?" Rick was stuck on the amount of money he was being given writing books. "OH, _Wrinkle__s__ in Time_. It's about a man who can't grow old because he keeps getting sent to different periods in time. He meets a woman and has a child only to be sent away to a different period in time. Eventually he meets a man who turns out to be his son but he never learns this because he can't stay in that time long enough to find out. Only to meet him again and again until eventually he meets him when he is old and dying."

Kate thought about that. His present book was about a city of the future that was hidden and not willing to save the planet and was going to let man kill themselves until something changed. Their leader died and he was replaced by someone else who sent robots back in time to change the future of man and save the human race.

His new book wasn't anything like that. She had no idea where he got the imagination to create such a vision but people were buying his books so she guessed it didn't matter. Just so long as he never lost that imagination.

"I've even got an idea for the next book. It's about a race of robots that humans have created. Each has a basic set of rules. First, a robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. Second, a robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the first law. Third, a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the first or second law

"I just haven't figured out what to call it." He had an idea for a story, but it needed a lot of work still.

"Sounds like laws to me," Kate commented.

"_The Three Laws _! That's perfect, thanks." Rick was going to use it. Just about then Gaspard was done and needed to be burped. "Have you talked to your dad?" Rick changed topics to one that he thought had been smoothed out.

"Yesterday. They've worked out when they want to get married, just not where they want to get married. Apparently doing in on a boat during a dinner cruise is out." She had loved her wedding and didn't see anything wrong with it.

"So what are the options?" Rick asked, wondering if they could help them decide or convince one of them.

"Apparently there's a garden somewhere that has a museum as a backdrop that Marié likes. Dad likes the one that's a different garden in the 6th district that has greenscapes, fountains, ornamental gates, statues, tree-lined promenades, and the Luxembourg Palace in the distance."

"So why does Marié not like his choice?" They both sounded nice to him.

"She says it's because it's in the 6th district. Apparently that's bad. At least to her." Kate rolled her eyes. She didn't get it. Neither of them had lived there long enough to understand what was so different between the districts.

"Sounds like your dad loses. He should just give her what she wants. He needs to learn when to chose his fights. Marié is not your mother. Not that that is a bad thing. Or a good thing. I'm going to shut up now." His son had burped so he moved him in front of him.

"What do you think? Should Marié get what she wants or should your grandpa get what he wants?" Rick asked his son. All he got back was a spit bubble.

Kate answered the question for her son. "He said Dad. I know my son."

"Actually the bubble he made popped and he said Marié," Rick countered and saw the look she was giving him. "Honest, that's what he said."

Kate went up to both of them. "Here, put this in the bank and give me my son. He needs to learn who's in charge around here." She handed over his check and took her son into her arms.

"We're going to be on the roof deck when you get back after depositing that check. We have bills to pay." Kate went up on the deck and smiled as she watched her husband leave on her scooter to deposit the check.

It might be her scooter but all of the spaces in the canal were now full and finding a place to park the car had become much more difficult. There was always a place to lock up her scooter.

Kate sat down with her son and saw the people down from them waving so she waved back.

They had met all of the neighbors and it was a good thing her French had gotten better. Everyone around them were all French and only two of them knew much English.

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Gaspard was asleep and Kate was comfortable right where she was. They had cover so neither of them were going to get a sunburn and there was a touch of a breeze making it nice out. Rick wasn't back yet so she saw no need to get up and start on dinner.

Kate looked up when she heard a scooter but it wasn't red so it wasn't Rick. However, she did recognize who it was. "En haut ici, Lise." _(Up here, Lise.)_ Kate waved and watched as she made her way around the barge and up to where she was. Lise knew no English so this visit was all in French,

"Vous n'avez pas répondu à votre téléphone," _(You didn't answer your phone,) _Lise scolded.

"Je suis ici avec mon fils, je ne l'ai pas entendu. Rick est parti pour le moment. Que se passe-t-il?" _(__I've been up here with my son, I didn't hear it. Rick's gone at the moment. What's going on?) _What was so important that she had to come herself?

Lise had news, important news. "Lelong voulait parler avec vous. Il veut que vous cousiez une de vos créations. Il veut le mettre dans le prochain spectacle." _(Le__l__ong wanted to talk with you. He wants you to sew one of your designs. He wants to put it in the next show.)_

Kate's eyes went wide. "NO!" She couldn't believe it.

Lise nodded excitedly. "Oui, il aime ça et le veut dans le prochain spectacle. Celui qui a des couleurs, je pense que vous connaissez celui-là." _(Yes, he likes it and wants it in the next show. The one with colors__;__ I think you know the one.)_

"Je connais celui." _(__I know the one.) _ Kate was smiling and laughing just a little. One of her designs was going to go into their next show!

"Vous avez trois semaines," _(You have three weeks,)_ Lise told her.

"THREE WEEKS!?" That wasn't nearly enough time.

"Oui," _(Yes,)_ Lise simply replied. "Trois semaines. Vous devez être occupé." _(Three weeks. You need to get busy.)_ Lise knew three weeks to sew an entire dress and make sure of the jewelry and shoes and hair style wasn't much time, but it was all she had.

"Vous connaissez la taille de Marion, oui?" _(You know Marion's size, yes?)_ That was who would be wearing it in the show.

"Marion." She was Lelong's latest favorite which was another big point. "Oui je connais sa taille. J'ai besoin de m'occuper." _(__Yes, I know her size. I need to get busy.)_ Kate stood up. "Merci d'être venue, Lise. J'apprécie vraiment cela." _(Thanks for coming, Lise. I really appreciate it.)_ She was sure she owed Lise a favor now and it was a big one.

"Bonne chance, Katherine." _(Good luck, Katherine.)_ That was another thing she'd had to get used to at work. Everyone used their first names and everyone called her Katherine just like Martha had done.

Kate put Gaspard down and hurried to her sewing room. Thankfully she had the design on hand. What she didn't have were all of the materials she was going to need. If she was going to get an early start she couldn't do it here. Though she could bring it home with her and work at home. But only if she had the car.

Kate went to their bedroom to get the keys to the car and made it only to the main room. She couldn't leave until Rick got back. Plus she needed to make dinner for both of them. But she needed to get started.

"Hurry up, Rick." Kate paced until Rick walked into the room. "It's about time. I have to go into work. You're on your own. I'll be back late." She turned to leave. "I'm taking the car."

Confused, Rick stood there. "Work? What's going on? …Kate? KATE!" He hurried after her only to see her drive away. "What did I do?" His first book was doing great. He was finally starting to make money for them and they weren't living off of just her paycheck.

He went in search of Gaspard and found him in his crib sleeping soundly. "Looks like it's just you and me. Guess I'm doing the cooking tonight." His cooking was nowhere near as good as Kate's. Though even she didn't make that many French dishes. They lived in France but ate Canadian. It was a little comical.

Rick lifted him out of his crib, put him in a Moses basket, went to the kitchen, and put him on the dining room table.

The kitchen was done now and was now much bigger. They had even gotten a table and put it on the back wall. They had a huge pantry cabinet, no upper cabinets, though they had a lot of counter space and lower cabinets. They also had two refrigerators now. One was the original one and still where it had been and the other was new and was next to the new freezer. All three were small and below the countertop. It meant they had to go shopping at least weekly to get fresh perishables.

"What should we eat?" Rick asked his sleeping son. "How about spaghetti with meat sauce? That sounds French." Rick chuckled at his joke since it clearly wasn't French. Even if it did have a sauce.

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Kate found a place to park but it wasn't all that close to their home. Worse she was dead tired and her hands were hurting. She shuffled down the gangplank and headed for their bedroom to check on her son and see if Rick was still awake.

She found him sitting there almost naked and giving their son a bottle. "Well look who showed up. It's Mommy." Rick wasn't overly happy with her.

"Can you just come help me after you finish feeding Gaspard. …Please?" She had a lot of stuff to unload from the car and it wasn't all that close.

"To do what?" He began to fear that she had gone on a buying spree without talking with him first.

"While you were gone Lise from work showed up. Lelong wants me to sew one of my designs for the next show and I only have three weeks to put it all together. It's a great honor, babe. If this works out I might get to do another one. This might be my chance. Can you help? I have a lot of cloth to move from the car. …Please." She was too tired to move it all herself.

"You have a fashion show coming up and he wants one of your designs to be in it and he wants you to sew it?" Rick thought he understood.

"Please, babe?" Kate wanted his help. But Rick had a question.

"How are you going to sew it here and sew it there? And can you do it in three weeks?" She had taken a lot longer than three weeks to make that dress on the island.

"Maybe. …I hope so. It means moving things back to the car tomorrow and back into work and then back here. I sew here and I sew there. I need the model there to make sure it will fit her properly." It might be a great design, but if it didn't fit the model it was going to look like shit.

"Sure I'll help. …Wait, you said something about using the car." Thanks to Gaspard being up roughly every two hours they already weren't getting much sleep so his mind wasn't all that sharp.

"I have bolts of cloth so I can't use my scooter. …Please. You got your book and I'm proud of you. But I want this." Kate wasn't afraid of begging her husband.

"Sorry, I guess I'm still asleep. The car is yours. Let me finish and I'll be right there," Rick said and saw Kate start smiling.

It only took one trip and Kate had everything in her sewing room. "You're planning on sewing all night, aren't you?" Rick was still catching up.

Kate nodded tiredly. "I don't have much choice."

"Just remember to get some sleep. People make mistakes from lack of sleep." Rick didn't want her to screw up and end up having to start from scratch again.

"I'll try. Now go to bed. I have work to do." Kate wanted to get started. But she didn't get to start right away because Rick put his arms around her and kissed her.

"I'll wake you up when Gaspard wakes me up for his next feeding," Rick teased which earned him a glare from her. She was not falling asleep while sewing.

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Rick had Gaspard and was granted a unique view of the show that was going to display the design his wife had created. He was backstage watching the entire thing being put together. He stayed close to Kate to watch what she did and was introduced finally to Lelong who had hired her in the first place and whose show this was.

Rick did his best not to stare as women would get ready for the first of the show. Each would start out naked and would eventually be dressed in what they were to wear. Their hair was adjusted, jewelry was added, and shoes were put on. It was almost a madhouse yet each girl had someone attending to her or even more than one.

She would go out and show off what she was wearing and when she came back she was stripped and her makeup was removed and replaced. New clothes were added and new jewelry then she was sent back out. As a result Rick and Gaspard got to see naked women all over the place.

Finally Rick watched Kate do what several of the others were doing. Granted she had helped some of the others, except this time it was her dress that was going to go out. As a result he saw the girl who was going to wear her dress being stripped naked, sat down and had her hair adjusted, makeup stripped off and reapplied. Then on went the dress followed by shoes and jewelry and out she went.

He was positively beaming. Kate had ignored him and their son during this time and Rick watched as she held her hands over her mouth and observed the girl walk out and back, turn around and go back out, then come back into the back and get stripped for the next dress.

Amazingly it was only then that Gaspard had had enough and wanted his mother. Kate held him and cooed at him while also ordering people around and rejecting this piece of jewelry in favor of a different one.

Eventually Gaspard would calm down and be back in Rick's arms while Kate hurried about like all the other ants until the last girl went out showing off the premier dress of the night.

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Rick took the car and Gaspard home while Kate remained behind with her scooter.

Gaspard was in his crib after being fed a bottle and Rick was up on the roof deck waiting for his wife to come home from her show. Technically it wasn't HER show, but she had a dress in it so to him it was HER show.

It was late and he was thinking of getting up to check on Gaspard and get him another bottle when he heard her scooter coming. Still he decided to do just that anyway. He thought they should both be there to greet her on HER night.

Naturally Rick had been gone too long and Gaspard was awake and crying even if Rick couldn't hear him. A quick diaper change and they both met Kate in the kitchen as she was pouring herself a glass of local wine.

"One for me too, please, and a pan of hot water for Gaspard." Rick smiled at her, knowing that while she looked tired, she was also glowing.

They were soon sitting in the main room, drinking and listening to Kate recount her first show from her perspective.

"Was it all worth it?" Rick asked her. He meant the show but Kate heard something else.

Kate heard running away from Josh, finding and falling in love with Rick, applying for a divorce, telling the cops to go get stuffed instead of handing her over to Josh. Coming to Paris to follow the man she loved more than anything, worrying over money as they spent what they had while not having jobs, getting married, having a son, living in Paris that was already the most famous city on the planet. Rick was getting his books published and people were buying them in great numbers. She had finally been recognized and gotten one of her dresses put in one of Paris's famous fashion shows.

"Yes." Kate felt new tears starting to form. "I don't want to be anywhere else."

Rick had one final question, though. "Not even to move to say the 7th district and have views of the Eiffel Tower right outside our windows, once we can afford it?" He didn't mean a tiny apartment, either. He meant a family home complete with a garden. A place that was still far above what they could afford.

Kate thought about it. She liked her life now and where they lived. But the 7th district was really nice and having a view of the Eiffel Tower did sound amazingly nice.

"Maybe a number of years from now. …Maybe after another baby." Kate hid her grin behind her glass of wine.

Rick's head snapped up and he looked at her. "Are you trying to tell me something?" Was she already pregnant again?

"No, just thinking. Being next to the Eiffel Tower might be nice. We have time, though. The city might change and a different district might end up a better choice." Kate was willing to wait and see.

"Better than seeing the Eiffel Tower all day long?" Rick didn't see how that was possible, but she was right. Paris was going to grow now that the war was over; it was already beginning.

"Are you ready for your father's wedding tomorrow?"

"Yes, I really do want to see my dad happy and if marrying Marié will make him happy then I'm happy. I just hope my mother is equally happy. I'd like to think that she is. She loved Dad so much and would want to see him happy." Kate had come to terms with her dad being with and now marrying Marié.

Rick shared his view on their marriage. "Marié's a nice woman and they deserve each other. They both suffered a loss. I'd like to think that they are healing each other."

"You're sure your next book isn't a romance novel?" Kate teased him since he was sounding very emotional, very sincere, and very romantic.

"Bite your tongue." Rick made a face and stuck his tongue out at her for such a thought. It only had her laughing.

"We have a big day tomorrow." Rick put his now empty glass down and got up; he offered his hand to Kate to help her up. They needed to get to bed and get some sleep or they might all be cranky tomorrow. "We can practice making our next baby before sleep," Rick grinned at her.

Kate smiled, took his hand, and got up with a sleeping Gaspard safely tucked in the crook of her arm. "I can't think of anything better…, husband." Kate gave him a quick kiss and allowed him to lead her to their bedroom.

They had a future together and Kate wanted that future. It was a future that years ago under Josh she was sure she was never going to have. Rick had saved both her and her dreams and she would love him forever for it.


End file.
